Jak II Chronicles
by Neo Yi
Summary: Yes, a Jak II fanfic adaptation, but do more then merely adapt it. But enhance it. The First in my Blue Curtain Trilogy. Special Director's Cut editiom. ALL CHAPTERS ARE NOW REVISED Finally.
1. ACT 1: Across the Gates of Time

**Jak II Chronicles  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 1: Across the Gates of Time**

_  
Exploring, searching for new land, the thrill of adventure, that was my goal, to explore the world as much as possible. I couldn't stay still at my own home, always aching to go somewhere. The many wonders of the world have given me enough of a reason to risk my life to explore the great beyond. I took pride in my map making skills, the one compass that I've held onto since I could remember, and a usually a companion. Nowadays, I just go about it alone. After all, when your only companion is your son and he died a horrible death, you really don't want anyone else with you. Even go as far as reject any children. No more pain, I suppose. I thought that way for some time now. Just an explorer who felt the terrible pains of loneliness…  
That is…until I met…the boy…_

…………………..

**Samos' Hut, Sandover Village**  
**Month:**_ Possible Spring Time_  
**Year:**_ 5235 BH (Before Haven)_

"_For every age there is a time of trial.  
The rocks faced such a fire before they were the strength beneath our feet.  
The plants braved vast winds before their roots could give us life.  
As a sage of considerable years, I have known only one such great ordeal. Yet the hero it created was a champion of all time."_

The sunny village of Sandover was always quiet and simple. The windmills adoring the village moved slightly as the gentle winds passed by. People woke up at the crack of dawn to fish, to farm, to build and balance their simple home. Surrounded completely by grasses, cliffs, trees, their most glorious sight was the magnificent ocean that stood next to the village. As the waves slowly crashed towards the cliff, the people of Sandover would admire proudly over their village. Over the freshly cut vegetables, over the top hill where you could view one too many sunsets, yet not enough to feel repetitive. After all, who could forget the oranges and violets and reds of the sky?  
The village was best during this time of year, with more beauty and a sense of surreal ness then anything ever seen in the planet. The trees were starting to grow their leaves again and the grass got greener. Flowers graced every spot. The weather was warm enough to plant them, too. It was sunny most of the time and everything felt in tip top position. The warm, heavy clothes were off in favor of lighter ones. Vegetables and Yakows roam the land more freely. Birds have returned from their long migration and small woodland creatures were more festive. Ahh, yes, the cruel harsh winter has passed and spring has arrived. The people of Sandover knew spring was the time of planting their crops and hunting for fishes and other small creatures for eating and they did just that.  
For the case with Jak and Daxter, it was time for their journey. Yes, Samos had sent them on two missions to retrieve two items: **The Ruby Heart**, and the **Time Map**. Samos said it was needed to open the portal gateway they found a few months ago. A giant precursor ring. Naturally, he sent Jak and Daxter to do the fetching. And so they went (after Daxter whined a considerable amount of times), and they delivered. Once Samos got his hands on them, Kiera, his daughter, took them and placed them on the machine she made known as a Rift Rider. She saw the very model of on it from old blueprints her father had, but never told her where he got them. Something was afoot, but that was a matter best left to be dealt with some other time.  
"Alright, we can start the journey tomorrow." Samos announced, "Get packed and sleep well. I have a feeling this is going to end up being quite the adventure."  
"Shouldn't we announce to the people where we're going?" Kiera asked, wiping her hands with a handkerchief to get rid of the black greases she got.  
"I think it is better that we don't." Samos quickly answered, "Trust me on this one."

Samos was a small old man with light green skin and a log on his head, his white hair seemingly wrapped around it. His beard and mustache matched his hair color, both long and kept quite straight. A small yellow and blue bird graced on top of his log, never leaving far from it's designated nest. Wearing glasses that overemphasized his eyes, and plain clothing that certainly didn't feel right for one as high and mighty as he gives himself credit for, it's as if he kept a causal appearance despite his status. Samos was the perfect example of the Green Sage, one who represents and speaks with the trees.

"…Okay." Kiera was unsure.

The lovely daughter of Samos was a small, skinny green haired individual with matching green eyes. With matching violet/pink pants and white shirt combo (short that exposed her belly, giving her a rather sexy appeal), Kiera's looks were matched with her cute voice. An adorable girl she was, even when her face is stained with grease and oil, and even when her belt contained tools which ranged from small to outrageously huge. A mechanic she was, something quite rare for a girl in her village. No girls would build or fix vehicles and even step foot in mud let along turn up with grease on her face. She was a tomboy at heart, but the apple of Samos' eye.

"I wonder where this contraptions going to take us." Daxter banged on the machine.  
"Daxter, cut that out!" Samos snapped, "If you kill this machine, you can be sure the next time I force chores on you, it'll be doubled."  
"Alright, alright!" Daxter moaned, "Cut me a break, old timer."

Daxter was the black sheep of the entire group, mainly in physical appearance. Once a Precursian like the others, Daxter was now a small Ottsel standing a grand two feet. Orange and yellow in fur color; Daxter donned brown fingerless gloves and a pilot helmet, complete with goggles. With big, blue eyes, and a wide smile, Daxter was an expressive little figure with a horribly giant mouth, saying this and saying that. He still somehow retains a lovable charm to those near him, or least Jak somehow constantly convinces his friends and family to put up with him.

"I'm so excited!" came the ever optimistic voice of young teenage Jak. Only a child of 16, Jak's mind was often too curious. It would often lead him into trouble, "I wonder where this will take me."

Jak was the heart of the group, what with his wonderful personality. Nice, caring, and pure of heart, the boy was deadly honest; one wonders if they'd be sick and tired of his overall niceness. A well muscled boy, if not a bit skinny child, he had big, blue, sparkling eyes, and yellow hair with green roots sticking all the way up. Wearing bright blue clothing, it was suited so he could freely run and walk around at relative ease. The boy loved to explore and see new sights and new people. He had an optimistic voice mixed in with a British accent just like that of his uncle.

"Well, we'll see tomorrow, Jak." Samos smiled heartily, his voice hinted sadness, "Until then, I suggest you pack up. Oh…and one last thing…"  
"Hmm?" Jak's curious face showed.  
"Have a nice talk with your uncle, you should tell him how much you feel for him before we go." Samos' face felt guilty and his voice soft and calm, unlike his usual stern, hearty voice. Jak wasn't so sure why he would do such a thing (he'd be back, after all), but he took Samos' advice. Jak started to leave to go home and Kiera ran up to him after he and Daxter left to go their separate homes.

"So Jak, you excited?" Kiera asked. She knew it was an obvious question and that she would get an obvious answer.  
"Of course! New adventures!" Jak smiled, "I can't wait!" Kiera lowered her head down and stared at the grass as the two walked underneath the moonlight.  
"Kiera, what's wrong?" Jak asked, his optimistic voice now turned into concern.  
"Oh, Jak, it's just…well…I lived in this village all my life and to suddenly leave it…it's something I don't do often." Kiera stared at her father's hut, "What if we never get back? I feel different this time around."  
"Kiera, don't say that." Jak placed a hand on her shoulder, "Of course we'll return. And we'll tell people of our adventures."  
"I don't know." Kiera sighed, "I just have this feeling something will happen once we reach wherever we're going."  
"Kiera, this isn't like you. You're usually adventurous." Jak gasped.  
"I know, I know, but I'm leaving home for what could be…forever. I NEVER did that before. We're entering something we don't know ANYTHING about." Kiera raised her defense, "So many memories buried in here. There's the water fountain where Daxter fell in when he was just a kid."  
"Oh, yea, I remember." Jak smiled, "He tried to prove he wasn't scared to walk around the edge of the water well."  
"And there's that cave we discovered when we were kids. " Kiera faced the cave not too far from the village, it has since been blocked by a giant boulder as too many curious kids wandered inside and came back traumatized.

Kiera turned her gaze to the sky, "We didn't go too deep because we were always afraid. Especially Daxter."  
Jak nodded.  
"And there…the orphanage where daddy adopted me. It was one of the happiest days of my life."  
"Yea, there are a lot of memories here." Jak nodded, "I wonder why Samos wanted me to talk with Uncle and express how I feel for him. He seems to be hiding something. But I'll take his advice. After all, I might not come back for a while."  
"Yea…"  
"At least I get to be with you, Daxter, and Samos." Jak optimistically leaped up, staring at the sky as the sun started to sink to leave way for night.  
"My daddy didn't want me to come, so I had to keep protesting until he agreed with me." Kiera smiled softly, "After all, we are the Gang of Three."  
"Me, Daxter, and you." Jak laughed, "Yea, it wouldn't be the same without you!" Kiera joined in on the laughter which lasted until Jak reached home…

Jak's home was a small, simple one. A single two story hut, but with all the accessories a house usually has: bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom, etc. Maps graced all over the house, all drawn by Jak's uncle, from his explorations. Compasses and old books were everywhere, some his journals of his journeys. Jak would often sit down and read of his uncle's journeys or play around with his tools that he had for exploration. Growing up in an explorer's house, Jak knew a thing or two about survival out in the wild and would even accompany his uncle on some journeys. Naturally, as a result, Jak's uncle's room was filled to the brim with leather covered books, more maps, and paper and writing pens everywhere, with a red carpet lying perfectly on the middle of the floor. Quite unusual to be messy when he's often an elegant fellow himself.  
Jak's room was more colorful: Some potted plants, a window view of the ocean, books of his own and even a writing desk where he'd spend time either doing his homework and writing what he felt like (he wanted to write his own adventure like his uncle, so he practiced everyday). A ball that he played with the others shoved under his bed, a couple of stuffed animals sitting atop his drawer, as well as a blue/green/violet colored carpet. Because he had a large window, Jak had a telescope in his room, given to him by his uncle when the old man witnesses the boy's love for the sky. Every night (well, every night as long as the night sky was clear), he'd eyed the pool of indigo mysteries, admiring every little twinkle in the sky.  
Their backyard composed of a porch, complete with a table and four chairs, with a giant umbrella on top. There, Jak and his uncle would view the ocean till sunset, sipping lemonade and talking of what they did for the day. It may not seem much, but to them both, it was fulfilling.

Jak made sure he had everything he needed. His toothbrush, some extra clothing, towels, books, whatever he needed. He took a deep sigh as he finally took a small black and white picture of himself and his uncle, recently taken a few weeks ago. Both were donned in snow gear, so it was winter time when taken. Jak smiled and gently placed the picture in his backpack. A knock came during his packing, and Jak saw his uncle, his elegant cane in his one hand, the other on a doorknob. A small, short man with a bald spot, but with bushy yellow mustache attached to is hair on the side, almost seemingly tucked behind his ear. A monocle on one of his eye, blue sleeveless outfit, eyes usually half closed, the man looked a bit on the elegant and non elegant side, both mixed together.  
"Uncle." Jak gasped, "Hello."  
"All packed up, eh?" Jak's Uncle chuckled, sporting a somewhat snooty British accent (people often wondered if Jak was either born with that same accent or gained it because of him), "Oh, my boy, ever the explorer. I encourage that. It runs in the family. Well, I best leave you alone, I suppose."  
"Uncle, wait." Jak raised his hand out to signal him to stop, "I wish to talk with you."  
"About what?" Jak's uncle turned back to face him. Jak gestured him to sit next to him.  
"Uncle…I'm going off on a journey I never expected to go to." Jak started, "And…and I have no clue when and how I'll ever return home. I just…I just need you to know that I care about you a lot. You took great care of me. I'm glad you're my uncle and I'm so lucky to have someone like you. You taught me so much and I can't thank you enough. Thank you for giving me a home, thank you for giving me food to eat, thank you for giving me love…I love you, Uncle. I'll miss you when I go away to wherever I'm going." Jak's uncle let off a small smile, coupled with slight twinkling eyes, almost as if he was about to cry.  
"BUT I'll be back!" Jak quickly gasped, noticing his uncle's current expression, "That's a guarantee!" Jak's uncle smiled deeply and quickly ran up and hugged the skinny child. He started to sniff back his tears while Jak merely gave a look of confusion.  
"Uncle, it's alright." Jak softly spoke, "I'll be back, you don't have to cry like I'm going to die or never come back…because I will!"  
"………Don't make promises you can't keep." Jak's uncle spoke, almost in a whisper. Jak was in an even more confused state then before. He finally let go and continued to eye Jak like a proud father who just witnessed his son's first baseball game victory.  
"My Dear Boy, wherever you go, whatever you did, I will be right here, in your heart, life or death." Jak's uncle spoke softly and quietly, "Never forgot those words. They are important. Don't let the darkness take over you, but don't let the light take advantage. Balance. And remember…just be yourself."

Jak merely nodded, again confused and he's uncle hugged him once more, tighter then time.

Jak later went to bed, although he didn't sleep immediately. Something in his heart was telling him something WILL happen. He thought of what Kiera said on that subject. Then he thought of his uncle's words. He slept as much as he could. What Jak didn't know what was going to happen, his uncle did…

…………………

The next day came fast and Jak, Daxter, Kiera, Samos, and Jak's Uncle were in the area where the portal rested, dragged over by the Jak and the others from the spot where they found it (and considering it was a long way home, the result left the duo exhausted).  
"Well, I hope you do keep it a secret, all of this." Samos spoke with Jak's uncle.  
"Of course, don't worry." Jak's uncle smiled, eyes closed, then he looked at Jak, who had on his eager face. Samos turned towards to Jak.

"It's for his own good." Samos softly spoke, "He's destined for something much greater then all this."  
"I know." Jak's uncle lowered his head, "I just wish I hadn't grown so attached to him."  
"Things will turn out alright…for the both of us." Samos patted Jak's uncle on the shoulder, "You'll see."  
"Yes…perhaps I will." He nodded.  
"Good-Bye, old friend. It was nice knowing you…while it lasted." Samos and Jak's uncle shook hands.  
"Same here. Be safe and watch over Jak."  
"You'll do good things for this world."

Samos, feeling confident that Jak's uncle would live through the pain he's currently facing, walked over to Jak and his friends.  
"Today's the big day, Jak. I hope you are prepared, for whatever happens." Samos spoke. Jak nodded.  
"I am." Jak had a determined face on.  
"I think I figured out most of this machine. It interacts somehow with that large Precursor Ring. I just hope we didn't break anything moving it here to the lab." Kiera looked more then ready to go. Just last night, she was reluctant. As for the large Precursor Ring, it glowed heavily white from nearby. Connected with railed for the Rift Rider, it was a warp hole all the way. The entire thing was located near Samos' hut, but far away from curious Sandoverian's eyes. If they got near, Jak's uncle would "shoo" them away. Hiding such an object was not an easy one. It was gigantic.  
"Easy for you to say! We did all the heavy lifting!" Daxter popped up, "And believe me, it ain't no easy fit with a body THIS size."  
"Daxter, you didn't do anything other then yell, "Move it this way, Jak," or "You can do it Jak, keep trying." Jak came in, arms crossed.  
"Hey, at least it motivated you." Daxter grinned.  
"Yea, I bet." Jak sarcastically said, rolling his eyes. Daxter ran up to the machine and was about to touch the ruby heart which acted as the main button.  
"Daxter! Don't touch anything!" Samos shaggy voice came to, and Daxter sighed, crossing his arms in disappointment. Samos then turned his attention to everyone else. "Though the Precursors vanished long ago, the artifacts they left behind can still do great harm."  
"Or great good! If you figure out how to use them." Kiera's voice rang out. Leave it to her to bring out a positive note when Jak himself didn't fill that job.  
"I've had experience with such things. I know you can make it work." And with that, the heroes sat on the seat. The machine was a complex mess.  
It was almost like a car without wheels, or even a backside. More like half a car and half a hovercraft, a giant round machine on the back for the engine power. It rested on a track that lead right to the portal since the machine did not have wheels. The area where the heroes sat had the Ruby Heart on one side, the Time Map on the other. The Ruby Heart was a red, almost heart-shaped ruby, while the Time Map was an oval-ish object of Copper and Gold almost blended in together.  
Jak slowly and almost hesitantly pushed the Ruby Heart to activate the machine and lo and behold, it did.  
"Looks like Jak's still got the mojo!" Daxter leaped. The Time Map as a result, "opened" so to speak and small little orbs started to circle around the middle of the Time Map. Breathtaking.  
"Interesting... it appears to be reading out some preset coordinates." Kiera eyed the now open Time Map. Before she could say anything further, the entire area started to shake violently. Jak's uncle fell and landed on his bottom.  
"Uncle, are you okay?" Jak asked, yelling through the sound of the shake.  
"I'm fine." He urged himself up. Things got worse when the portal started to glow a dark purple, like the color of eco. From the portal came tiny creatures, tiny dark creatures that flew. Tiny, creatures with small skinny wings and needle-like bodies.  
"What in the-" Jak's uncle gasped. They started to spread everywhere.  
"Aggggh! What are those things?" Daxter gasped as he eyed the monsters. Daxter clutched onto Jak's arms like a child to his mother. Jak, too was terrified. Where have he seen these hideous creatures before? His thoughts didn't matter right now when a deep, gravely voice came after the last creature flew off.  
"Finally! The last Rift Gate has been opened!" came the gruff, almost echoing voice. Everyone was in a deep state of panic this time. Except Samos and Jak's uncle. They were more fascinated.  
"So THIS is how it happened…" Samos gasped. No one heard him as he spoke rather quietly. Soon, it was only a matter of time before the monster reared its ugly head. Jak was ready to scream in fear. What WAS that THING?  
The monster had an oval face, dark green and blue in color appearance, He had a lion-like mane and spikes sticking out from the side. His arms were big and meaty, only with a few claws here and there. His eyes were deep and yellow, glowing from the misty purple-like atmosphere surrounding them. And on its forehead was a shiny, glowing Golden Gem of some sort. The monster scanned the area around him. He couldn't see Jak's uncle well through the thick mist, but he did eye Jak.  
"You cannot hide from me boy!" The giant creature pointed and Jak grew confused right off the bat. Aside from being accused of something he was not aware of, he could hardly even see the giant creature standing in front of him with the violet mists blinding his eyes.  
"Do something, Jak!" Kiera quickly ordered in panic. Daxter took over by randomly pushing buttons.  
"What's this do? Or that! How 'bout this one! Everybody, press all the buttons!" And they did. Jak pushed the main lever and the machine started to move straight for the monster since it was on a set track. They all screamed as they reached closer to the monster. And soon, they were engulfed in a brilliant white light.  
The violet mist disappeared and Jak's uncle opened his eyes to see everyone gone. The violet mist no longer there, no little flying creatures, even the giant precursor ring along with the tracks Kiera built disappeared. Everything was just the way it was before Jak and his friends discovered the large ring some few months back. Jak's uncle couldn't comprehend what just happen a few seconds ago, let along what's happening now. Despite the normality, the main difference was that his nephew could have possibly been eaten by that horrible monster.  
"No." he gasped, "Jak! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…………………

The portal they went through lead them to a multicolor dimensional wormhole, a gateway between their  
world and another. The monster was nowhere to be seen. The heroes were relieve of that part, but another panic took over upon seeing where they were and how fast they were moving.  
"What was that thing!" Kiera struggled to ask. The machine rocked back and forth, causing her to stop talking and start gripping tightly.  
"Hang on everyone!" Samos shouted.  
"YYAAAAAAHHHHHH! I want off this thing!" Daxter cried out. He repeated this numerous times. Unaware of what they should be doing, the best idea was just plainly grabbing onto the Rift Rider and hope they wouldn't get separated through time, but of course, fate has a way of revealing its ugly head. The trip on the machine ended when a random bolt of lightning of some sort struck the machine. It was very powerful, enough to destroy the machine completely with one hit. The heroes fell out and got separated. Jak and Daxter on one side, Kiera and Samos on another. Jak could hear Kiera's scream.  
"KIERA!" Jak shouted, trying to extend his arm to try and reach her, but a bright light from nearby started to blind the poor boy, refusing him to get once possible last look at her as well as Samos. The old Sage, with whatever common sense he had left, shouted towards Jak, "Find yourself, Jak!"  
Then the two separated from Jak and Daxter who headed towards the blinding light towards them.

A brilliant wave of energy came upon a vast city and like a shooting star; something came crashing down the alley. A man saw the bright lights of this so-called _"shooting star"_ and turned from his deskwork from his office to see what it was. Considering he was in a rather tall place, seeing a flying "shooting star" would be quite easy to see from there. The man was amazed. His almost metallic face eyed the "shooting star" as it crashed down. He was frozen for a good few seconds. Did he see what he just saw? For a good few minutes, he just stood there. It was the voice of another man who snapped him back into reality.  
"Your majesty, did you see that?" The man was a lanky individual. His armor composes of a giant chest piece big enough to make any football players weep, a mask of some sort that resembled slightly like a bug that hug over his forehead like a visor, tattoos on his face, glaring yellow topaz eyes, and his striking feature, the fiery red hair. He was smaller then the man he called, "your majesty", but tall in average height for males his age.  
"Yes…yes, I did." The bigger man responded, "Captain, take a few of your men down there and see what it is and bring it to me. If it's a living being, bring it to me alive."  
"Yes, sir." The fire haired man bowed, then left. With a rather cocky grin, the skinny individual left.

Jak opened his eyes and coughed roughly. He landed on some garbage cans, but he was confused on what it was. All he knew that it was trash. They were in a small alley.  
"Daxter?" Jak spoke hoarsely. He cleared his throat and tried again, "Daxter? Daxter?" Jak finally got up and looked around. He heard coughs behind him and saw Daxter, clutching onto a pipe of some sort. Daxter got up and saw what he was holding, then he threw it down and stared down at it, pointing to it.  
"Okay, I swear that's the last time I ever, EVER, touch any stupid Precursor crap!" Daxter then eyed his surroundings, "Geez, where are we?"  
"I…don't know." Jak slowly left the alley and he gasped. Daxter followed suit.  
The place was huge. Everywhere they went, people of Jak's species zipped pass them in numbers. There were so many. Jak had never seen this many people and their clothes were strange as well. What were those things on the people's feet? They covered their entire feet! The air was filled with flying zoomers, some in different shapes and sizes then Jak knew of, some in the same familiar size he easily could recognize on. Neon signs graced some buildings or so. The buildings were huge, bigger then the huts back home and taller to boot as well.  
"Jak…where are we?" Daxter gulped.  
"I don't know." Jak started to take shorter breaths. His panic meter rose to the roof, "The entire…place…it has metals. Metals everywhere! Wuh…Where are we?"  
"I just asked that!" Daxter shrieked, "This place looks scary!"  
"Well, I can honestly say…we're not in Sandover anymore." Jak gulped, trying to keep him and Daxter calm. He then held the frighten Daxter and placing him on his shoulder, slowly started to walk. The people started to push him and made nasty remarks. Others teased about the weird choice of clothing he had and wondered why he didn't walk without shoes.

"People aren't very friendly here, are they?" Daxter muttered.  
They didn't get far when they bumped into huge, hulking men in heavy red armors. Jak thought there were monsters until he saw flesh and skin from underneath the helmet. Now he wondered why they would wear such heavy armors. Won't they get hot underneath there? Jak then eyed one man in between the red armored men who didn't dress so heavily, but had a symbol on his chest that the other armored men don. The lanky man with the fire red hair and topaz eyes. He made his way towards Jak and Daxter, his small pistol raised above until it was next to his face. Jak was speechless. One of the men in red spoke through an intercom voice box of some sort hidden in the armor.  
"Step away from the animal!" He cried, and panicky Daxter screamed in fear and ran away in all four.  
"Forget the rat. The Baron wants him!" the fire red haired man spoke, gazing his attention to Jak who was completely surrounded by the red clan men. They were much bigger and beefier then he was and not knowing what to do, Jak just gave a scared, confused face and said nothing.  
"We've been waiting for you!" The fiery red haired man spoke in a rather spooky manner. One of the red armored soldiers came to Jak and struck him with the back of his gun. Jak saw nothing but black and the faint sounds of his friend…  
"Don't worry Jak! I'll save you before you know it!"

**Two Years Later**

**The Fortress, Haven City**  
**Month 5: **_Mair, Day 14 (Spring/Summer Time)_  
**Year: **_299 TOHM (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"_Dark Eco injection cycle complete. Bio readings nominal and unchanged."_ came the female voice of a computer. The metallic faced man was with the fiery haired man as they conducted countless experiments on Jak. 2 years, 2 long years have passed. His hair, no longer up, but sleeked down, his eyes, no longer soulful, but dark and ominous, he also had a small, green soul patch. The two years have changed Jak, possibly for the worse. After yet another dose of dark eco, he lied unconscious on the lab chair he was strapped to. The umpteenth time he received the injection and he still fainted. Jak thought he'd at least be used to it by now.  
"Hhhppp. Nothing! I thought this one might be different!" The metallic faced men eyed the slightly unconscious Jak, "After all, he DID fall from the sky."  
"He is surprisingly resistant to your 'experiments' Baron Praxis. I fear the Dark Warrior program has failed." The fire haired man spoke. The "metallic man" known as Baron Praxis threw a fit.  
"Aaaagh! You should at least be dead with all the Dark Eco I've pumped into you!" Praxis grabbed onto Jak's hair, tempt to pull off the golden locks. Jak didn't do anything, he couldn't. The effects of the injections dizzied him.  
"What now? Metal Head armies are pressing their attacks. Without a new weapon, my men cannot hold them off forever!" Praxis was just as frustrated as the fire haired man. Especially upon the mere mention of those dreaded Metal Heads. Jak heard him speak of that a couple of times and wish he knew what they were. From the Baron's description, they were vile creatures.  
"I will NOT be remembered as the man who lost this city to those vile creatures!" Praxis practically spat on the fire headed man's face as he yelled. Then he stepped back and took a deep sigh, "Move forward with the final plan! And finish off this 'thing' tonight!" He eyed Jak when he said, "thing". The fire headed man nodded.  
"As you wish." He leaned towards Jak, "I'll be back later." And the two left Jak, still strapped to the machine. He has been left in that strapped chair before. The first time he was in there alone, he almost went mad and howled with tear stained eyes, crying out for his uncle and friends. The entire area was torture. He was very afraid back then. Now, he was used to it. He just plain hated it, with a burning passion. He wanted to get out. He wanted to kill the Baron. He wanted to see blood. Never had he ever had these thoughts before in his earlier years. He was always pure of heart. His uncle taught him to always be that way, but Jak thought these impure thoughts. He wanted death upon the Baron. Take a blunt object and smack him on the area not covered in metal or take one of those "guns" he heard of so much and shoot him with it. He wanted revenge.

"Ding, ding... Third floor... Body chains, roach food, torture devices."  
A voice! A voice he vaguely remembered! He was too dizzy to move and too tired. Soon, something was on top of him. An orange blur.  
"Hey buddy... you seen any heroes around here?" It was Daxter and he took a good look at Jak and his expression was what Jak imagined, shocked, "WHOA! What'd they do to you?"  
Jak said nothing. He couldn't speak. He was too dizzy. He wasn't quite sure if Daxter was merely a hallucination or real. He's been having those quite recently. Daxter wasn't going to put up with this though. He came closer to his buddy.  
"Jak, it's me... Daxter!" Jak quickly opened his eyes and lifted his head, then flinched down. Daxter grumbled.  
"That's a fine hello! I've been crawling around in this place risking my tail (he stomped near Jak's crotch), literally, to save you! I've been looking for you for two years! Say something! Just this once!" Daxter gripped onto Jak's shirt  
I'M GONNA KILL PRAXIS!" The first thing Jak had said all day, all week, all month. He refused to speak much anymore…until now. Daxter leaped back and cupped Jak's mouth quickly.  
"Shhhhhh! Quiet! Geez, now's not the time for your revenge or whatever. Right now, we gotta get you outta here." Daxter leaped off of Jak's chest and tried to remove the straps on Jak's arms.  
"Just let me figure out how to open the security locks for your chair so…" As he did, Jak started to groan. He felt different. An unknown sense of pain and darkness lingering inside his body. He groaned some more as Daxter rambled on how to remove his shackles. He felt the change. So intense. He felt the blood rising in him, his body getting more darker by the minute. He felt more colder then usual. He felt the need to taste blood. He felt like an untamed animal. Jak growled loudly and all trace of purity left his body as he turned into something he never wanted to be. Daxter saw his friend's new change and screamed as he backed away in fear.  
What Daxter saw was shocking to him. Jak's skin was pale white; his pupils was completely pitch black, his blonde hair now a striking white. His soul patch gray as well as his eyebrows. With two horns sticking out his head and long claw-like fingers, he was a demon.  
"Or aaah... you could do it. " Daxter sheepishly changed his mind. As Daxter moved backward, Jak moved forward, flashing his canine-like teeth. His aim was Daxter and he walked slowly to strike the poor Ottsel and probably eat him raw. Daxter had nowhere to run as the area surrounding the chair was small and the bottom beneath it was deep down.  
"Jak? Easy now. Easy buddy. It's, it's your old pal Daxter, remember? Take it easy! You can't eat me! You're a vegetarian, remember?" Daxter gasped, as Jak came close, "JAAAAAAAAAAAAK:  
"AAAAGGHH!…" Jak was ready to strike at Daxter, until he stopped. Something stopped him. He saw Daxter and suddenly, memories flowed within. Memories of happy times he had with Daxter. He suddenly started to turn back after he uttered Daxter's name. Soon, he was completely himself again. He fell down and took a deep gasp. He repeated his huge gasps for a few seconds and Daxter came closer to him. He gave an angry look and cried out in a manner as though Jak's transformation was a common thing.  
"What the heck was that! Sheesh, remind me not to piss you off!" Same ol' Daxter.

"Daxter." Jak spoke, barely ever speaking.  
"That's my name, don't wear it out." Daxter grinned, then patted Jak on the back, "Come on, tall, dark, and gruesome. We're outta here!" Jak stood up, a bit wobbly at first, then he followed Daxter.  
"I, uh, brought you some new threads. Put 'em on."  
Yea, there definitely weren't home…  
**To Be Continued…**

……………………..

**Author's Notes (As for now, AUG. 2005, PLEASE READ, IMPORTANT)**: I ain't all that sure if you people who read my fanfics actually read my profile, but if you did, then you know that I've said I'd be re editing this fanfic before I start my third trilogy in the Blue Curtain Trilogy (the one titled, _"Jak and Crash"_, the official sequel to both this fic and _"Experiment Bandicoot"_). Any who, for those who never did read it, then well, I'm telling it now.

So, yes, I am finally re editing this fic. I'm changing some stuff around, but don't worry, they're nothing TOO huge. I might add some new scenes and remove some, only because my writing has gotten slightly better and some elements work while others don't in this fic. Some changes being Haven being 300 years old then 500 as it previously was since the guys at Naughty Dog has stated it was 300 years (plus it really helped me when I was thinking of the previous rulers of Haven), other notable things are Jak getting a british accent (don't ask, I played WAY too many Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, I suppose), among others. Most of them are little in general, so incase you wanted to know, **YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REREAD THIS FIC. **But it'll help when _"Jak and Crash"_ rolls out. Although if you are concerned on a certain part that was in that fic and not in Jak II Chronicles, know that I probably changed something in here to fit over _"Jak and Crash." _

With that said, I hope you enjoy the remake to newbies who are new to my fic or veterans who just want to waste a portion of their time wondering what I changed.


	2. Dramatic Changes

**Jak II Chronicles  
****ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
****Chapter 2: Dramatic Changes**

"_Night watching was one of my favorite hobbies. I would go to Sentinel Beach, place my telescope in the same location as I have always done, then gaze upon the mysteries of the universe. There was always a sense of calmness and elegance whenever I gazed upon those little twinkling balls of light. Did the Precursors give us something to stare at so we wouldn't be terrified of the dark? _

_I'm an explorer. I've searched all four corners of the globe and have witness many a wonder, many a horrifying, many a beauty. Most being the truth about these so-called Precursors. Higher beings, dared to call then deities who slept in the stars, watching over us. What wonders could they bring to us? My questions grew even more when I met the boy, not able to gain any answers until much later in my life…_

_  
A small, white comet hurtling towards the ocean, but they do not fall directly down and certainly not this fast. I viewed through my telescope and barely saw a human figure through all the white. The figure was small, like that of a child. I dismissed it, wondering if I was losing my eyesight. Nonsense! I was still young back then, still had all the blonde in my hair!  
It landed in the water. I quickly swam towards it, not caring that the ocean waves were crashing into me, hoping it would do a successful job of drowning me. I struggled with all my might, but I went until I stopped at the exact location of where the "White Thing" fell. I had a photographic memory, so I remembered where it was. I dived in and after a couple of minutes of searching, I was holding a small boy in my hands…My face was in shock. A boy was the thing I rescued. It was the comet. What was the manner of this? Sending a child down from the heavens? A gift from the Precursors? An omen? Could the precursors have sent me this boy as some sort of sign?"_

……………………

**Haven City Slums, Haven City**  
**Month 5: **_Mair, Day 14 (Spring/Summer Time)_  
**Year: **_299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

The escape from prison wasn't so bad. There weren't any guards anywhere near the cells where the prisoners were kept. A rumor has floated that the majority of the prisoners are homicidal and crazy. Despite their insanely heavy armors and weaponry, the Krimzon Guards stayed a clear distance from them. Yes, the Krimzon Guards, the armed force of Haven Kingdom.  
Truly, Jak and Daxter knew that escape was the first thing in their mind before talking about what has been happening in the last two years since they met. And escape they did. The prison wasn't a place where one can swell freely without feeling an urge to throw up.  
The whole way through out, Daxter ranted on and on about the state of the place.  
"This floor is sticky" or "I don't like this part of the place, it's creepy" and "Is that a skeleton?" Daxter, two years in a world he's never been and still unchanged. Jak would have smirked if not for their dire situations.

"Daxter, can you be any more chatty?"  
Daxter had every right to complain though. The entire area was surrounded by spider webs, gunks and mucks that refused to go clean, no matter how many times the janitors tried. Then there were the unexplainable creatures that the scientists created. Last Jak heard, the janitors quit after one of them got eaten by something unmentionable and indescribable, or so he heard. The floors were constantly wet from leaking ceilings and pipes and the entire hallways were dark and surrounded by boxes, barrels, and crates.  
Occasionally, the duo would hear a Krimzon Guard or two. Jak would sneak away from them or render them unconscious if they were blocking his way, but truth be told, he did not know his way out, so he had to make estimated guess. For some unknown reasons, maps weren't anywhere near. This place in generally was something he didn't understand at all. With contraptions and other doo-dads he's never laid eyes on, this entire world even after two years, was new to him.

But how could he understand everything in two years? He was imprisoned with very little to go. The schedules were all the same: Wake up, breakfast (mmm, gruel), work (possibly laundry or maybe dishes), lunch (look, more gruel, how lucky we are!), work, dinner (Guess what we're having? Gruel? No, I never would have guessed), and then sleep. Sometimes, something _"exciting"_ and _"new"_ happens, like say, double work, or maybe a new job switch, or maybe someone died or a fight would break loose. Jak developed a harsh sarcasm over his years in the slammer.

It didn't help that the clothes he wore were ungratefully uncomfortable: Tight indigo leather outfit with the same precursor ring he wore back in Sandover (which he felt familiar with) made it hard for him to move his arms around. He felt as though his chest was suffocating, and he had a horrible enough time trying to scratch the itches around his body encased by that blue tunic, ("You'll get just to it later, Jak." Daxter would say) a red scarf that surrounded around his face which he had on for two years, so it was something he was used to and felt comfortable with. Loose, somewhat baggy white pants which could easily be stained, goggles (another familiarity that either Daxter bought similar ones or somehow found Jak's old goggles) graced his forehead, and of course, the brown and indigo boot which was the most uncomfortable feature in Jak's body. These so-called "shoes" enveloped his entire feet and those enclosed space was something he didn't enjoy. Jak wanted very much to remove them and run wild and free with bare feet, but Daxter saw it's more or less require to wear (plus, he said sandals wouldn't look good on him). Jak didn't very much care for his opinion, but kept them on his feet, however tempted he was.  
"You can't even feel the grass and dirt or whatever metal thingy grounds with these shoes like you can with feet!" Jak muttered, "What useless buggers these are."  
Lastly was his green and yellow hair, smoothed down then spiked up like his younger self had done. All in all, he definitely gave off an impression of a much darker being then usual.

……………………

Jak had reached the duct area with the fan turned off, so that was a good thing. Crawling around it quietly, Jak saw something shining.  
"I see light!" Daxter shouted excitedly. Jak did too after he managed to cup Daxter's mouth. He crawled out and landed about 10 feet before landing on his back on the hard, hard ground.  
"OW!" Daxter cried. Jak merely rubbed his back and opened his eyes. Blue. Blue sky. Clouds, the sun! The latter which temporarily blinded him before he fully grasped his situation and surroundings. Could he be hallucinating? Did he see what he just saw? He laughed boastfully (if not a bit sinisterly) as if he just won something victorious. Two years he did see the two suns, and the blue skies. He almost cried.  
"WE'RE FREE!" Daxter kneeled down and started to bow, being the ever dramatic Ottsel he is, "OH, I KISS THE GROUND!" And he did. Jak got up and brushed the dirt off his new clothes, took Daxter, placed him on his shoulder, and ran away as far as he could from that prison. He never, EVER, wanted to return there again.  
"So, now what? Daxter asked.  
"We need to find someplace to hide." Jak suggested, "Do you know any place?"  
"Why are you looking at me? Daxter scoffed, "I spent the last two years looking for YOU and JUST you, so I didn't have much to sightsee. Sure, I know a couple of places, but there mainly public places like the mall or the movie theater or the-"  
"A mall? What the bloody hell is that?" Jak asked, "And movie theater? What the bloody hell is THAT?"  
"Oh, right, I forgot your city illiterate." Daxter sighed, rolling his big eyes.  
"City? THIS is a city?" Jak gasped, "I thought cities were old mystical ruins from the precursor's past, not this…this…whatever this is!"  
"Shush, you're attracting a crowd." Daxter placed a lip to Jak, "And we don't want any Krimzon Guards over here! They're EVERYWHERE in this place." And truth be told, the soldiers garnered in red were patrolling every aspect of the city. Jak made it his duty to not sight step anywhere near them.  
"Well, I need to find someone who can give me some information." Jak spoke again seriously. And so, Jak started asking people around. But he was in the slums and in the slums; people didn't give a damn about other people's concern. This unfortunately riled up Jak that he swore the next person who came close to him would result in him giving him some information or else…

"Hello strangers. My name is Kor. May I help…" Jak quickly turned to see a random old man who just uprightly went up to Jak like they've met before. Jak assumed, however, that the man was just some old weirdo who helped whoever looked confused. He took this as a sign to berate him and ask for help, and not in a nice way either.  
"You look like a reasonably smart man. I want information! Where the hell am I!" Jak saw the old man and he quickly grabbed him, shaking him uncontrollably.  
"Aaah... sorry! He's new here." Daxter sheepishly laughed as he leaped down to a small boy near him, "…Jak, maybe you should let him go before he can answer your question." Jak did so, but kept his frowning face to show signs of anger. The old man brushed his old blue robe in a casual manner, keeping a straight face.  
"A talking Ottsel…seeing one is rare in itself, but a talking one…" Kor smiled a bit. Daxter just smiled, forgetting that he couldn't speak in public. Animals don't generally talk. Kor ignored Daxter though and turned his attention to Jak while both Daxter and the small boy watched the two communicate.

"Well, my angry young friend, you are a _'guest_' of his _'majesty'_ Baron Praxis, the ruler of _'glorious'_ Haven City." Kor sarcastically answered.  
"I was just a _'guest'_ in the good Baron's prison." Jak retaliated.  
"Inside a cell or inside the city... walls surround us both. We are all his prisoners." The old man continued. Kor spoke in a gravelly voice. His voice more then matched his appearance. White hair that stuck out like a lion's mane, white beard that fell down to his chest, blue robes that flowed down like a sagely wizard as well as brown boots (one of them showed his barefoot), as well as a walking stick almost as big as him. To top of it, he had light blue eyes which ironically gave him a youthful appearance.  
"What do you mean by _"we're all prisoner?" _Jak asked.  
"You do not listen well." Kor sighed, "There are walls surrounding these cities, guarded by security guards. No one gets in or out without a special passport. Not even the zoomers are high enough to. Only specialized vehicles and taxi services can, among others the Baron wishes to issue."  
"Why? What's outside the city walls?" Jak sighed, rolling his eyes, "Are people afraid of nature or something? Are people just xenophobic?"  
"Heh!" Kor cried, "It is because of those dreaded Metal Heads that we are stranded here."  
"Brrr, Metal Heads." Daxter shivered, "Not something I wanna be near for more then 5 seconds."  
"Metal Heads?" Jak repeated its name, curious as to know what they are. He heard the Baron mention it often, but he never knew what they were.  
"Powerful creatures ranging in different species." Kor explained, "Each with a glowing gold head. They invade everywhere. Anyone who leaves would be making a suicidal attempt. They travel in packs. You kill a dozen; a dozen more will come." Kor further explained, "That is why we cannot escape. They've been a pain to us for years."  
"Trust the old guy, I've seen one, they ain't pretty or friendly!" Daxter added, "They like to sneak into the city. They're unfortunately smart."  
"Yes, they are." Kor nodded, "The only way to destroy the Metal Heads is to kill their leader, but he's current location are unknown to Haven citizens. Not even the Baron knows."  
"So, we live in this...Haven City and we're hopelessly trapped in here because of Metal Heads?" Jak summarized. Kor nodded.  
"No weapon is strong enough to wipe them all off." Kor shook his head, "Rumors speak that the Baron is planning to make a new and powerful weapon to stop the Metal heads to protect his city."  
"I don't get it!" Jak shouted, "If the Baron's intentions are good, then how come he's such an ass? If he is the leader of this city, why do the people here suffer in pain and neglect?"  
"The Baron ruled this city three long years ago." Kor sat down on a front porch of an abandoned house, "Right after the King and Queen were killed from a Metal Head attack, the king's little brother, Baron Praxis, took over and everything went downhill from there. There is barely any hope anymore. The Baron's rules are ruthless and offensive compare to the former King's more logical laws." The child came closer to Kor and gave a saddening look towards Jak and Daxter.  
"…………Bugger." Jak muttered, "I entered a dystopia city. Fantastic."

"However, there is hope." Kor pointed, "Despite all the current turmoil we're facing, we have people who rebels against his way. Freedom Fighters, you could say. They handle missions to stop the Baron in any way possible. And the other hope is this boy here." Kor placed a bony hand on the small boy who had been tagging along with him.  
"What's the deal with him?" Jak asked.  
"He is the-"

"HALT!" A Krimzon soldier marched in their direction along with several more. Kor, the child, and Daxter both gave off horrified looks while Jak looked more agitated.

"By order of his eminence, the Grand Protector of Haven City, Baron Praxis, everyone in this section is hereby under arrest for suspicion of harboring underground fugitives. Surrender and die!" The leader KG ordered.  
"Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Kor gasped as he stood up. The small boy quickly ran to Kor who placed a caring hand on his shoulder.  
"Halt?" Jak scoffed, "We didn't even move or anything."  
"Yea, and don't you mean surrender, OR die? Daxter screamed, panicking as he did so, unaware that he was speaking in front of people. Jak quickly took Daxter and shut his mouth up.  
"Not in this city!" Kor gasped.  
"We didn't do anything, so we're not going anywhere!" Jak stood his ground, "SO BUGGER OFF!"  
"We're warning you, surrender peacefully and this will go nice and easy." The leader of the small Krimzon Guard grouped (well, small _"as 20 guards"_ small, compare to the hundreds and hundreds in grand total), cried back.  
"NO."  
"Then it's the hard way."  
"JAK!" Daxter screamed.

A fight began. Jak had a few skills in combat thanks to a martial artist named Chop-Chop back in Sandover (Jak nicknamed him _"Choppy_"). He never completed his training, so he basically only knew the basics with few special moves, yet he still skilled enough to hold them off. All the heavy lifting and constant mopping did his arms good. And the fact that he moved around a lot in the prison helped his legs. There was also a sturdy pipe in his cell where he developed muscles by doing pull ups. He would exercise everyday when he had the chance to hone his skills even more so then usual. Taking out the guards were easy, but what Jak didn't count on was how more would come to aid their comrades. They were like the Metal Heads, a dozen dies, a dozen more came in. The ones gravely injured were pulled away by Green armored Krimzon forces (the First Aid force) They barely had any armor, but you could easily tell they were part of the Krimzon Force by the symbol they had on. That is why the army is strong. Eventually, even Jak was getting tiresome. Just how many guards are in the slums! His anger was at the point of insanity. He wanted to let it all out. His eyes grew dark. His teeth were clenched. He hated them all, he hated this city, he hated the Baron…..

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" Daxter shouted. His friend's voice could not be heard from the sounds of lightning crackling, the small lightning surrounding Jak and the loud scream he made that shook the very grounds he was in on. He was pure white in color once again, his eyes all black, no pupil could be seen, his hair a grayish white, and his nails grew 5 inches thicker. He was a demon once more, just like he was back in prison.  
Kor and the child watched in amazement and shock at Jak's sudden transformation. People nearby saw this stunning display and froze in their tracks. Daxter was confused and upset. He and Jak have been friends for years and he feared Jak's sudden new looks. Why him? Why he's best friend? Why not someone else's best friend? The fight felt slow throughout. Jak's claws swiped the armors straight out of the guards. How can 5 inch nails do those to one of the strongest metals in existence? Whatever the case was, Jak did it. He managed to shoot our lightning and other magical doo-dads that Jak never could do before. In the end, in a matter of minutes, all the guards either ran away or died. Not one body was on the floor as Jak wiped them all out into dust with his dark magic or dragged out by the First Aid Green Krimzon Guards. He then turned to face the three and the majority of the people staring at him. Jak groaned, clutching his head and fell on his knees. Daxter, hesitating, slowly went over to his friend, but stayed back. It was the Kid's turn. Kor suggest he didn't get near, but the child only looked at his old guardian and went over to Jak who was shaking ever so slightly until he came to his original self again. The kid tried to extend his hand to touch him…

"J-Jak?" Daxter squeaked, keeping a distance. Jak slowly lifted his head up and saw the child and his extended hand. Kor finally decided to drag him away.  
"D-Daxter?" Jak gasped, now starring at the little horrified ottsel. The people surrounding Jak didn't runaway in fear. In fact, they didn't know whether they SHOULD fear him or applaud him for wiping out the Krimzon Guards. The slum dwellers wanted to hurt them for the years the Baron ruled. Instead of doing either, they just minded their own business.  
"Strange folks." Daxter sighed. Then he eyed Jak and smiled, "That was cool! Do it again!"  
"…Something's happening to me... Something he did... I can't... control it." Jak stood up, and stared at his hands, then Daxter. What WAS he? Before he had the time to think, Kor interrupted.  
"Very impressive." Kor smiled, his eyes still half closed, eerily calm, "What you just did was very brave. And we couldn't ask for anything, especially him (Kor placed a hand on the child's shoulders)….This child is important."  
"This kid? He looks kinda... scruffy." Daxter noted.  
The child was silent. Like Kor, he wore blue for the majority. They were overalls with pants that reached to his knees, below that was him barefooted, making Jak wonder if he should just take off his shoes. The child had on a brown pilot helmet that many Precursians wore as a fashion statement. Inside the overall was a white shirt that seemed almost tank top then T-shirt (what with the shirt sleeve length) as well as brown bands around his wrists. His hair that barely showed over the helmet was a beautiful green. The child's eyes, however the same amount of color as Jak, was bright and hopeful looking, not dark and ominous. To top it all off, the kid had on a special pendent of some sort, orange in color and round in shape. It was a beautiful piece.  
"Thank you for your help, but I must get this boy to safety." Kor smiled. And taking the reluctant child, he started to leave.  
"Hey! What about us?" Daxter shouted.  
"Hmmm…" The old man pondered, "Well, That underground group raging war against Baron Praxis that I mentioned before, its leader, the Shadow, could use fighters like you. Go to the slums. Find a dead-end alley near the city wall. Ask for Torn. He can help you. Head right." He pointed.  
"Thanks a lot old timer." Daxter grinned, "Come on, Jak, this might do us some good."  
Jak nodded. And they would go their separate ways. The child, smiling, waved at Jak who had his back turned, so he didn't see.

…………………

The journey to see Torn gave time for Jak and Daxter to catch up on old time. Jak's story was short, Work and experimented. There was nothing he knew about the city. He learned a few technologies in there, such as "TV" or "radio", but just simple ones, nothing more. Daxter's story was more colorful.  
"In the 2 years I've been stuck in this city, I learn about the many technologies and stuff they have here." Daxter started, "They even have medicines that can cure a headache in just hours! And the zoomers got advanced, too. I mean, we get these new stuff never before seen in our world. It's like civilizations advanced. I wonder how that happened. I don't even know what year this is!"

"Maybe we're in another part of Precursia." Jak theorized, "Or maybe this city is hidden."  
" Well, whatever. Any who, as an Ottsel living amongst people I wasn't familiar with, my speech was limited. I mean, I can't talk in front of people. I actually got through on food and money by hanging around people, especially girls who think I'm cute and adorable, which I am, by the way. They would give me food and such. I also entertained them by dancing and such. I had a sign that said, _"Meet Daxter, the amazing Ottsel. I have taught him to dance."_ So it always seemed I have an owner, but was never shown."  
"That's clever." Jak grinned, "But…how did you buy my clothes?"  
"Well, by then, I was quite an infamous little individual." Daxter smiled, "I was widely known in the slums mostly. They knew me as the Ottsel with the _"invisible"_ master. Usually when I go in to specific stores, like the clothes store, I would get help from the shop owners who would help pick out the clothes for me and I would pay him. I was trained by my master, as far as anyone was concerned."  
"What do you know? You actually CAN survive on your own without me having to save your ass half the time." Jak kept that grin.  
"Funny. Any who, other times, I would sneak around for information on where you were and think of ways to bust you out." Daxter sighed, "I tried so many times to break you out. It wasn't easy, buddy. I mainly stayed around here, the slums area."  
Jak nodded.  
And they talked and talked. It felt like old times again, if not for a brief time.  
"I think we're here." Jak gasped when they reached a dead end alley.

…………………

They slowly walked, but was soon blocked out by a blonde haired girl. Her hands were on her hips and she gave a glare. Daxter, smitten, was about to put his usual _"lady charm"_ until Jak spoke.  
"Uhh… We're looking for a guy named Torn. Kor sent us... Um…" Jak started, not sure what he was doing half the time. Of course, he got his answer when a extremely lanky man came walking in their directions, eyes fixed only on Jak, a grin that looked mixed with anger, tattoos gracing his face, and clothes composed of mainly silver metal armors, and indigo in almost every other part of his body. He was certainly well armed and despite his skinny appearance, his blue eyes alone showed the coldness that he has done some killing in his life. Top that off with auburn hair; tied up to make him look very…well…reggae, for lack of better words  
"Are you... Torn?" Jak stepped back a few.  
"Maybe this guy's a mute." Daxter whispered to Jak.  
" New faces make me nervous. Word is you're out to join the fight for the city. You know, picking the wrong side could be...unhealthy."  
"Words travel fast…any who, we want to see the Shadow." Jak gained a bit more confidence.  
" Huh, huh, huh. Not likely. If you want to join something, why don't you and your pet go join the circus? Heh. Unless you got the fur for a really tough task?" The man named Torn snickered as he walked away from them before stopping to turn his head around to face them. Daxter, being insulted by a man he only knew for about 30 seconds, got into in a fight mode, ready to bite Torn's face off. Jak made a hand motion to calm him down.  
"A tough task, eh?" Jak crossed his arms, grinning, "Like what?"  
Torn then placed his hand behind his back and took out a crescent moon shaped knife. He eyed it like it was his precious baby and eyed the two.  
" Steal the Baron's banner from the top of the Ruined Tower and bring it back to me. Then maybe we'll talk." Torn tossed his knife and caught it with ease.  
Jak and Daxter stared at each other. Jak smirked…  
**To Be Continued…**


	3. First Day on the Job

**Jak II Chronicles  
****ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
****Chapter 3: First Day on the Job**

_The boy must've been some sort of gift. Things started getting interesting because of this one little event. As soon as I swam to the beach with the boy in my arms, I met a man who was slightly older then me. He was a pudgy man with logs for sandals and a giant log for a hat or at least some sort of head support. What struck me the most about him was his green skin. The man was shorter then me by a couple of inches, even shorter without the platform sandals he had on.  
"Hello there, I'm so relieved you save the boy." He told me, "I just came with him not too long ago and when I looked back from my vehicle, he was gone." The vehicle he pointed astounded me. Where on earth did he get something like that?  
"I guess I got some explaining to do, eh?" He asked me. I nodded and took the boy and escorted the man to my home...  
Samos Hagai, he was called. As I placed the wet boy on my armchair where he could warm up and rest, bundling him with several towels, he told me his stories…and I was intrigued…_

**……………**

**Haven City Slums, Haven City**  
**Month 5:**_ Mair, Day 14 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"So, Torn said the way to Dead Town is this way." Jak looked at the old map Torn gave him. It was cut off so that only the slum part of the city showed. Jak eyed the map almost all the way and Daxter often had to pull him out from crashing into someone or the wall or any random object for that matter. Eventually, come sunset time, Jak and Daxter were right in front of a large metal door. It had sensors so that it would know when to open when someone was near.  
"Hmm, no Krimzon Guards in here." Daxter grinned, "I thought they were heavily guarded."  
"Well, I think the Baron thinks no one's going to go out of the city with all those Metal Heads." Jak answered, "Any who, let's go already."  
Once the doors fully opened, Jak and Daxter entered a world they have never seen before.  
"THIS is Dead Town!" Daxter shouted, "Looks more like Decaying Town to me!"  
"What does it matter, both words are pretty bloody accurate for this place." Jak groaned, then covered his nose with his hand, "It smells nasty here."  
"Must be all those swamp water." Daxter leaped put of his friend's shoulder and went over to the brown gunk that was supposedly "water". He was about to put his foot in, but Jak grabbed his furred friend before he even got in an inch.  
"Daxter, the water might not be healthy." Jak suggested to which Daxter nodded upon, "Come on, the flag's up there, let's go. The faster we grab that stupid flag, the faster we get out of this smelly, repulsing place."  
"How do we ever hope to find a flag in a place as big as this?" Daxter retorted.  
"There." Jak pointed towards one of the highest points of Dead Town, and sure enough, there was the flag, plain as daylight. The main problem was the heavy climbing involved.  
"Great, we climb over dilapidated, possibly-ready-to-fall-on-us towers of doom." Daxter sarcastically commented, "Ya know what, I think I should stay here." Jak, shaking his head on Daxter's inability to change over the past two years, quickly grabbed him and started off.  
The so-called Dead Town exceedingly and almost shamefully lived up to its name. Buildings crumbled with only walls with windows and wooden planks surviving in the end. They dug deep into the gray dirt or in the mucky water as if escaping was not an option. Cracks graced every wall and fallen huts were dilapidated to even make out what they truly were. Hays were in every nook and cranny, easily unnoticeable. Small swamp creatures such as frogs and tiny little bugs hopped on every surviving leave or flew on every single remaining piece of material left, and to top it all off, the water was as dirty as the sewage. If you looked inside Dead Town's former residences, you wouldn't find much that would interest only but an archeologist: Old books covered in dust and mud which made the inks barely readable (a time when printing machines were not invented yet), old maps of possible the entire world of Precursia, beds left unmade or left broken, plants that have long since been dead, little toys of old that children used to play met with the same fate of either being dust covered or broken. It was screaming of an ancient culture of many years passed, but the entire town's history was covered and blocked by the monstrosity of Haven City. Dead Town seemed destined to remind depressing and ignored forever. The only saving grace was the silence and occasionally balls of white light that surrounded the entire town. In fact, it seems this is the only place where these so-called balls of light occurred.  
As Jak and Daxter journeyed, they noticed those small flying balls if light. While Jak remained focused on his mission, Daxter had little to do but watch as he merely rested on his friend's shoulder. Of course, being the talkative ottsel that he is, he couldn't help but speak at every little thing that intrigued him, especially those small balls of light.  
"Lots of fireflies in here, eh?" Daxter commented.  
Jak and Daxter had an awful amount of climbing to do. It didn't help since the entire place was on the brink of falling apart. One wrong move could instantly mean death. For Daxter, climbing was of little problem. Being smaller and weighing less, he could get by hundreds of year old ruins without breaking a crumb. Ottsels are obviously naturally good at climbing, too.  
Jak wouldn't have much trouble climbing, either; As a boy, he would swing around the sturdy tree branches like the chimkeys (half monkey/half chimpanzee), with great ease. The two years in the prison fortress did not have many climbing spots and with the grounds and wall breaking ever so often in Dead Town, Jak had a difficult time. Daxter would often look over so that his friend would safety get through and pray he would not fall since Jak was too heavy for an ottsel to carry over.  
"Yeesh, I wonder what idiots let their own village rot like this?" Daxter sighed, kicking a piece of rubble.  
"I don't know." Jak gasped for air as he finally manage to get up, "And I don't bloody well care."  
"You're out of shape, Jak." Daxter sighed. Jak didn't want to put up with this right now.  
"I hate this." Jak grumbled.  
"YA THINK?" Daxter shouted, which wasn't surprising of him, "It's your fault we ended up here! You and your revenge! And now, we're risking out lives in this dump!" Daxter kicked a rock about half his size and let out the biggest scream of his life. Unfortunately, that was the least of his problem. The rock he kicked landed on an orange and white creature that looked like a mix of a fish and a crocodile. A snorkle tooth. The creature came, along with more of his kind and Goobers, green fishy scaly creatures. Soon, more then dozens of the little creatures surrounded Jak and Daxter.  
"Oops." Daxter sheepishly backed off as Jak gave him his _"Dax, I'm-gonna-kill-you-and-sell-you- fur!"_ look.  
Jak had little choice. He fought the creatures with his bare hands; careful not to aim for their mouths lest their fangs would chop his hands off. Unfortunately, with so many creatures surrounding them and focusing on the two, Jak was outnumbered. Taking a giant stone he quickly spotted, he hurled it in one direction, clearing a path. Jak made a run for it with Daxter on toll as the creatures gave chase. Jak was naturally clever and fast which was his main advantage whenever he was faced with combat.  
The creatures must've been quite angry or hungry that they wouldn't give up chasing after the duo, no matter how much Jak leaped over gaps, climbed on the near broken walls, and run past in random waves to try to confuse them.  
Their running away eventually led Jak over a circular shape tower, the highest part of the city. The floors fell as they ran around the tower, but they luckily lost the creatures, having given up when they knew they couldn't reach Jak now with the floors broke. Now, it was a matter of timing as they ran away as the floors crumbled behind them before Jak made one gigantic leap and grabbed onto the ledge that would lead the duo to the top of the tower.  
"Jak…pull us UP!" Daxter shouted.  
"Hold on!" Jak groaned as he used whatever strength was left in him to get himself up. Once on the top, Jak gasped for air and lied on his back.  
"They can't fly…thank goodness for that." Jak coughed.  
"Thank goodness you can run so fast." Daxter mumbled.  
Jak sighed and stared at the night sky as he lied on his back. He noticed now that it was no longer sunset, but night. Stars. There were stars. Lots of them. Too many to count. Millions graced the indigo sky. After two years, it felt like watching the AfterLife open before his eyes. He missed the stars. Jak quickly got up and headed for the flag.

"Can't we rest some more?" Daxter whined.

"No." Jak muttered, trying to pull the flag out.

"What happen, Jak?" Daxter reluctantly got up, "You used to be quite the stargazer. What? The hard edge look doesn't warrant star gazing?"

"Shut up." Jak softly mumbled, then he observed the flag as if he was scanning it, "Why would the Baron place a flag in this place?' Jak asked himself, "What would he want with this sodding dump?"  
"Last I heard, he was planning to turn it into an amusement park/water rides for the kids." Daxter answered, "Possibly to get more favor from the people. He plans to build it once he clears the Metal Heads, or so I heard."  
"Uh-huh." Jak shrugged and took the flag from the tower and made a rather heroic pose. A rather nice flag. Red in color with some white for elegant designs and the pole it was on was much taller then Jak. There was a round symbol on it, made of black and white.  
"Wow, you can see everything from up here." Daxter grinned, "Gotta admit, doesn't look very dumpy up here." Jak, too stared for a good few minutes before he felt something. Everything was so tranquil (even Daxter was silent), and suddenly, Jak felt something strange. Something…mystical.  
"Jak, you okay?" Daxter asked. Jak stood frozen and silent for a few seconds. The little white balls of light surrounded the entire city of Dead Town and only then did Jak truly noticed.  
"Big fireflies." Daxter gasped. Jak, however, remained silent. He couldn't keep his eyes of the little balls of light. Daxter made some more comments toward the "fireflies" before eyeing Jak who kept staring out in space as far as the little furball was concerned.  
"Yo, Jak. You okay?" Daxter cleared his throat. Jak snapped out and blinked his eyes.  
"It's…nothing." Jak gasped a bit, "I'm alright."  
"Oh?" Daxter cocked his head.  
"Let's just go already. I don't want to spend another minute in this hellho-" Jak stopped talking when both Daxter and himself felt a slight shift. The two looked below and saw the platform they were on was starting to crumble away.  
"Crap." Jak and Daxter both groaned.  
The entire tower crumbled and the two fell. Jak remained calm while Daxter screamed like a banshee. The two luckily landed on an old piece of fabric sheltering and bounced off, now landing and grinding on a rope (Daxter landing on the rope on his crotch), until he leaped off and landed on the bottom with his feet, nimbly like a cat while Daxter fell on his stomach. Next to them was Torn who watched in amazement as the tower behind them broke apart in a matter of seconds and landing on the murky waters below.  
Once everything was all quiet again, Jak (with a rather sick looking Daxter) grinned at Torn, flag in hand. Torn stood for a good few seconds in shock. He has sent many men who wished to join to grab the banner and all of them came home crying, but Jak…he was different.  
"Yea…I guess you guys are in." Torn slightly smirked.

**…………………**

Back in headquarters, Torn taught Jak all he needed to know concerning the underground.  
"The Underground resistance is a top secret organization. Since it is a secret, you obviously can't tell anyone about it." Torn started.  
"Tell me something I don't know." Jak sighed, crossing his arms. Torn took in a low growl and continued. Jak sat on a chair next to Torn's desk as Torn moved around slowly, eyeing Jak like a hungry buzzard.  
"You'll be giving various missions and be expected to complete them all. If not, you can forget about being a member for long. And you had better not be a traitor, I can't stand them." Torn came awfully close to Jak, his crooked knife in one hand, constantly pointing towards Jak's direction "I expect you to behave, kid."  
"Don't worry about me." Jak let off a disgusted and angry face.  
"You'll be given passwords, secret codes, and disguises when needed to and you'll also need a COMP to keep track." Torn continued.  
"What's a COMP?" Jak asked, his face looking he was just offended by a nasty remark.  
"…………………Please tell me I did not just hear you say that." Torn groaned, covering his face with his other hand.  
"Well, excuse me, but I'm from the country." Jak shrugged, "I don't know much about technology and the city. I'm so far from the country, I recently moved here." Clever Jak.  
"Well, fine." Torn took in the semi-lie (well, he was from the country), "I'll give you mine. Puar, come on out." Out from his pocket came a little flying device about a foot tall. It hovered alongside Torn. Jak, meanwhile was trying to figure out how a thing about half of Daxter's size managed to come out of Torn's pocket in perfect condition. Was it magic?  
"Jak, meet Puar." Torn showed Jak the little flying computer. It was black and gray with a giant orange len cap such as a video camera would have and "wings" on its back as well as antennas. Jak was amazed at it, as well as confused on what he was suppose to do with it.  
"Uhh…hi?" Jak slightly cocked his head, not knowing for sure if he was suppose to say that.  
"HELLO!" came the high, shrilled voice of Puar. Jak was thrown back by her sudden outburst that he nearly fell out of his chair. It could talk.  
"Wow, it can talk." Jak gasped, "What kind of living creature is it?" Jak gasped, clutching his chest from fright.  
"It's not really an animal." Torn sighed, "It's a computer, made by metal, wires, and other little gadgets. The same use of materials they use for radios and television. Computers are everywhere in this city. This one is called a "_Computer Organizers and Memo Pocket Station_" AKA COMP."  
"I know television, I heard about it." Jak sighed, acting as though he just discovered technology, "So, it's alive…but not alive…technically."  
"Technically." Torn repeated, "It's got artificial intelligence, AI. Most COMPS have it."  
"Oh." Jak nodded, confused, "I…see."

"Puar's just a bit special." Torn grinned, sounding slightly proud of her, "Unlike other COMPS, she has emotions and general Precursian feelings. The first of her kind."

"Yea, I've seen some of the COMPS around here, they're some of the most boringest and deadpanest things I've ever seen." Daxter whispered to Jak's ears.

Torn turned his attention towards Puar, ignoring Jak and Daxter's gestures.  
"Puar, you'll be hanging around with Jak for the time being." Torn spoke to the small computer.  
"I don't get to stay with master?" Puar sniffed a bit, "Poo, he looks scary, Master Torn."  
"It's okay, he won't bite." Torn smirked, then bent low towards Puar so Jak and Daxter wouldn't hear, "Do this for the royal family, okay?" Puar nodded, or at least it seem that way to Jak's eyes.

"Get some rest." Torn ordered, "You've got a big day ahead of you."

"Good, I need some sleep." Daxter whispered again.  
"I'll get someone to show you to your bunk." And Torn did while mumbling, "Kid doesn't even know what a COMP is; I'm surprised he lasted this far in Haven City." He managed to get a husky brown haired young man to lead Jak to another part of the room. Here, he met others who lived in the secret organization headquarters and they spend most of the night getting to know each other and help Jak adjust life to the city. One blonde haired girl had Daxter drooling. When she asked what was wrong with the ottsel, Jak muttered something about having too many junk foods which caused him to act like a retard. Daxter wasn't pleased with such a comment, especially in front of a lovely woman.  
Jak's room was shared with various others, which he didn't mind. The bed he was given was even more comfortable then the one in prison, no matter how simple it looked. He didn't care. The bed was sleep able and sleep Jak did. He slept more then he ever did in prison. One of the underground fighters gave Jak a shirt and a pair of pants for his pajamas until Jak had the money to buy his own. Another handed him their toothbrush, another his hair gel to "keep that blonde hair of yours from sticking up". Jak thanked them for their kindness and quickly hopped into bed, eager to sleep and get revenge tomorrow.  
"GOOD NIGHT, MASTER JAK!" Shouted Puar.

Jak slept soundly that night. The blanket was awfully thick for the spring time, but that was of little concern for him. He didn't dream, he didn't flinched, he lied perfectly still, doing nothing. Daxter slept near Jak like a dog, curling his tail until it reached his arms, snuggled comfortably in bed. No need for blankets, his fur was more then enough. The night was a peaceful one. This was the start of a new beginning for a new Jak. Morning would come…

**…………………**

**Underground HQ, Haven City**  
**Month 5:** _Mair, Day 15 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"WAKE UP!"  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! MORNING TIME! MORNING TIME! LET'S DO EXERCISE!"  
"AHHHH! EMERGENCY! HELP! HELP!"  
Puar started putting on some techno exercise music while Jak, shocked from her shrill voice and now halfway from the floor, groaned. He eyed a nearby radio clock and saw it was 6 in the morning. Daxter, meanwhile, was doing more then just groan. After hearing Puar, Daxter leaped up, got tangled with Jak's blanket and started to run like a chicken on fire, shouting out random scream for "help" and such.  
Jak noticed everyone else wasn't in this room. They must have all gotten up. His eyes half closed, Jak slowly got up, despite Daxter yelling around (and hitting random objects and furniture), and Puar trying to get the two to exercise with blazing techno music, all at 6 o' clock in the morning.  
Torn immediately entered the room, fully dressed and ready to go. He slammed the door open.  
"What the HELL is going on here?" Torn cried. With that instant sentence of outburst, Puar stopped what she was doing, as well as Daxter, who manage to lift the blanket from out his face.  
"Torn?" Jak yawned, still sleepy. Torn wasn't ready to respond, since he swore he heard something he never thought he heard before.  
"I just heard another voice here that ISN'T familiar." Torn growled, "Was it…that…that rat!"  
"HEY! I'm not rat, buddy!" Daxter pointed, "Its OTTSEL! OTT-SEL!"  
And with that, Jak quickly ran to Daxter, covered his mouth and made a sheepish smile to Torn.  
"WOW, I'm getting good on my ventriloquist act." Jak laughed nervously, "With a bit more practice, we could go in showbiz." Torn wasn't stupid. He didn't trust a lot of people. Despite the members being in the Underground for a few years now, even those who were at the beginning with Torn, he still did not trust all the people who worked loyalty for him, no matter how much they risked their lives. Torn has had his share of being betrayed before.  
"I don't like it when people lie to me." Torn crossed his arms, then he took out his knife, "Something bad can happen if I end up being played off, do you get what I mean?" Torn came close, his nose dangerously close to Jak's.  
"Uhh…yea." Jak cleared his throat. He was in a crouching position with Daxter, still clamped on his mouth by Jak's hand.  
"Now, does this thing talk or what?" Torn asked.  
"Well…"Jak gulped.  
"Okay, that's it, I had HAVE enough!" Daxter pushed Jak's hand away from his mouth and squeezed his way out of Jak's hand. Jak motioned for him to stop whatever he was doing, but Daxter took no notice of him.  
"Yes, I can talk." Daxter nodded, "And I believe I'm the only ottsel that can talk. Pretty cool, eh?"  
"You're the only ottsel I've ever seen." Torn groaned, "But whatever, talk or not, I don't like being lied to. You need something to tell me, YOU tell me, got it?"  
"Yes, sir." Jak obeyed. Only a day at the job and already he's in getting yelled at.  
"Now get dress and report to the health center." Torn then left, leaving Jak, Daxter, Puar and a messy room.

"He's always grumpy in the morning." Puar spoke in an inappropriately optimistic tone.

The health room was across from the room Jak slept in. It was a small clinic. A desk for the nurse to sit in, a bathroom, and some beds for the patients. Various posters of health tips and anatomy of precursians hung on the walls. Instruments used for doctoring the patient was neatly piled in various small tables as well as jars of cotton balls, popsicle sticks, and a cabinet of medicines. This was probably the cleanest room out of the entire Underground organization yet. Looking at all these tools made Daxter quite uneasy. Jak's question is why he was sent here? Was he sick? Is it because of what he was? How did Torn know? Jak vaguely could remember, but he had a hankering of what he had become. He didn't have time to see himself in the mirror when he was…that creature, but he knew the darkness entered him the most in his mind when he became this creature. He felt powerful, he'll admit that. So powerful. But will this power forever addict him to be this creature? Will he ever recover? It was all the Baron's fault. He made him into what he is today, a dark soul.  
"Jak." The young boy snapped out of it when Torn came, leaning on the doorway, "Get in."  
"Why am I here?" Jak asked, "Am I sick?"  
"Nah, you're just here for a couple of shots, only because of that rat on your shoulder." Torn smirked.  
"EXCUSE ME?" Daxter gasped.  
"He might have rabies and such, we don't know, but we're not taking any risks, and you could have gotten some from him." Torn started, "So, you both need a couple of shots, nothing much."  
"Oh, okay." Jak nodded, it didn't seem bad. Of course, for Daxter, he didn't feel all right. Something made him nervous. Jak started to walk in the room where the nurse was waiting for him, almost passing Torn until he stopped.  
"Uhh…Torn, what's a shot?" Jak asked.

"So that's a shot." Jak rubbed his arm now with a couple of bandages, grumbling.  
"You tell me." Daxter groaned, rubbing his behind, "I don't ever want another shot again!"  
"Mr. Jak, you are to report to Torn's desk immediately." Out popped the blonde haired girl they met last night whom Daxter eyed once again in glee.  
"Uhh, yea, sure." And Jak did so, rubbing his arm constantly.  
"At least you didn't get one in the butt." Daxter groaned, "Although if it was from her, I wouldn't mind." He continued to stare towards the girl until she was out of his views.  
Jak chuckled. Now that he was heading for Torn, he hoped to get some information on this "Shadow" person that Torn mentioned before, as well as Kor. Jak just thought about it as he left the clinic, but with good timing, too. As he passed the many doors leading to rooms of other underground members, he noticed a nicely decorated door with a sign that clearly read, _"Private Room, only for high members of the Underground"_. That door certainly looked much better then any of the areas of the Underground HQ combined. Curiosity got the better of Jak and he wondered what could be so important that it had to be labeled "private".  
"Maybe there's a code to open the door." Daxter mumbled. Because all doors were metal sliders that could be locked and unlocked with codes and combinations next to it, Daxter tried to push various buttons. He was on his tippy toes when trying to reach the bolted flat object filled with numbers.  
"Daxter, is this a good idea?" Jak cleared his throat, "We could get out asses kicked."  
"Yes, you could."  
Jak and Daxter immediately turned to see Torn behind them, hands on his waist.  
"That room is off-limits." Torn pointed out.  
"Why, what's in it?" Daxter asked.  
"Or who's in it?" Jak gave an alternative.  
"You'll meet him soon, but it's not important right now." Torn shook his head.  
"I bet it's the Shadow." Jak grinned, thinking he was so smart.  
"Wrong."  
"Huh?  
"I'll tell you this, the person who lives in there is far more important then anyone of us combined, more so then the Shadow, more so then the nobles that dwell in this city, more so then famous stars and celebrities…he's the most important person of Haven."  
"He's not a Precursor, is he?" Daxter asked. Torn groaned, annoyed with Daxter's denseness.  
"Get your asses over here." Torn muttered. Jak and Daxter both sighed and followed the auburn haired Underground leader over to his desk.  
Jak was now face to face with Torn, Daxter sitting on his shoulder as usual.  
"So, how were the shots?" Torn asked, grinning.  
"It was real peachy keen." Jak sarcastically answered.  
"Yea, let's never speak of it again." Daxter groaned as he leap onto Torn's desk.  
"Hmph." Torn grinned, "Okay, let's get down to business."  
"Yea, business, like the Shadow, for instance." Jak came in, "When do I get to see the Shadow?"  
"When I say so, IF I say so! But before I even think about it, I want you to take care of an ammo dump we've I.D'd in the Fortress." Torn pointed to the location where he was talking about on the many maps hounding his desk. "Lots of Krimzon Guards, constant patrols. We know it's vulnerable, and the Underground needs YOU to blow up all the ammo you find inside." Torn slammed his hand on the desk, sending Daxter to fall on his behind.  
"Get ALL of it, and we'll deal a body blow to the Baron."  
"You're sending US in, tough guy! So what's with this _"we'll deal a body blow"_ stuff?" Daxter cried out.  
"That's fine. I want the Baron to know that it's ME who's hurting him." Jak came in, face frowned, "Even if it means returning to the one place I never wanted to return to."  
Torn smirked. A determined young man, ready to go anywhere, no matter what, just to get his revenge.  
"Well, then, get moving." Torn sneered through clenched teeth, "Prove you're of some worth to me, Jak. Don't betray me."

"Yea, yea." He quickly left with Daxter who climbed onto his shoulder once more. Torn merely shook his head as if he just watched his own rebellious son walk out the door.  
Out in the hallway on the way out, the blonde girl came his way.  
"Hey." she said, waving to Jak and Daxter. Daxter eyed her lustfully.

"Well, if it isn't you again." Daxter chuckled, then he half closed his eyes and tried to give off the sexiest look he had, "So, you doing anything right now?"

"We're going on a mission." Jak muttered.  
"Yea, I heard you're going to the Fortress." The blonde girl smiled, "I took the liberty to sew you a bag, and me and the rest of the underground fighters placed some useful items for you."  
"Items?" Jak asked.  
"Yea, like green eco potions for healing when hurt, a swiss army knife, and so forth and forth. All of us underground fighters have a bag of stuff we need and take on our missions, so here's yours."  
Jak took it and nodded.  
"Thanks." Jak smirked. The blonde girl smiled.  
Jak placed the brown bag around his hips. It looked more like a holster for a gun, but that didn't concern Jak. He admitted, he liked the way it fit around his hips.  
Once outside, Puar manage to catch up with him.  
"You forgot me, silly!" Puar shouted, "How could you forget me?"  
"I'm sorry, Puar, calm down." Jak sighed, rolling his eyes "Okay, we gotta go, so let's go." Puar nodded and quickly flew in Jak's bag.  
"Geez." Jak gasped. How could something a foot tall and weighing in about 17 pounds easily fit in Jak's pocket?  
"I can make myself smaller so that I'll be able to fit in other people's pockets or bags or whatever." Puar giggled, "We COMPS were built to be quite convenient."  
"Is it magic?" Jak asked.  
"Nope, just good ol' technology." Puar giggled.

"Technology?" Jak mumbled.

"Yes, dealing with years of research and changing of the molecular level and cellula-"

"Whoa, stop, just…stop." Jak waved his hand towards Puar, "Let's make it easier on both of us and just…stop. I won't get it…trust me."

"Okay, master!" Puar shouted before hovering insider Jak's bag again.

Jak walked over to the fortress which doubled as the prison where Jak spend his two years in.  
Seeing as the Krimzon Guard might notice them, Jak often had to "blend in" with the crowds or move furthest away from the guards to make his way through.

**………………**

He reached the prison fortress (which wasn't so far from the Underground base) and aimed for the nearest door.

The doorway automatically opened for Jak, so he didn't have to resort to stealing a keycard from any of the Krimzon Guards. When he entered, he saw himself in a different part of the fortress prison.. The entire area was metallic with several boxes, as well as containers of Dark Eco. Jak wondered if it was the same dark eco that made him into what he is. Jak sighed. The room was near dark except for the lights, but even then, the lights weren't light enough to shine the entire area.

"This place gives me the creeps, let's just hurry up and go already." Daxter trembled.

"Yea." Jak nodded, speaking in a serious tone.  
Of course, getting past security was hard enough. There seem to be more guards then usual. Possibly as a result from Jak escaping. No one has ever escaped the fortress before as far as Jak was concerned. Sneaking wasn't easy, and Jak almost got caught a couple of times if not for his sleek maneuvers to dodge out of a situation in time.  
Jak soon entered a large room where three Krimzon Guards watched over. The room was entirely square, so it was quite easy to move in. The middle was full of missiles and cooling tanks, the ammo dump. Jak quickly hid behind the crates, the guards on the other side. The guards were talking about random occurrences of their days and the daily complaints they give to one another.  
"Hey, don't leave your keycard in the ammo dump." came one of the guards, "You'll forget it."  
"Nah, don't worry, I won't."  
"You lost that thing one too many times. The boss'll blow a gasket if you keep losing them."  
While they argued on, Jak found a small piece of metal near his feet. Grinning, Jak picked it up and threw it to the hallway he came from, causing the guards to go on high alert. They raced towards the hallway. When it was all clear and the guards were far off, Jak quickly left from his hiding place and went to where the guards were. He saw the keycard."  
"Cool! That's a security pass keycard." Daxter started, relieving Jak that he actually knew something now, "We need those to get through city check points!"  
"City checkpoints?" Jak asked.  
"Yea, the entire city is split in many sections and you can't get through without a passport." Daxter nodded, "I only got through by shortcuts. ''Tis easy when you're an ottsel."  
Daxter stopped talking when he and Jak heard a noise. There was a grate nearby, lying on the floor, where the noise was coming from. The two lied down and decided to see what's up.  
In there were a couple of Krimzon Guards. Near them were barrels and barrels of Dark Eco. That didn't shock Jak and Daxter, rather, the creatures whom the guards were speaking to…Metal Heads.  
"These barrels are the latest shipment of eco. The Baron says take them and get out!" One of the Krimzon Guards replied. One of the Metal Heads growled, and the guards got their guns ready. These metal heads were on all four, but they could stand up to use their front claws to roll the Dark Ecos out.  
"Metal Heads in the city? Why are the guards giving them eco?" Jak whispered.  
"You're telling me?" Daxter pointed to himself.

"Freeze!" Jak and Daxter turned around to face the three Krimzon Guards that Jak distracted away a few minutes ago.  
"Oh, crap." Daxter sighed.  
"Ya got a lot of nerve playing us like that." came one of the guards, "Now it's time to pay."

"Oh, bugger, I don't have any money." Jak teased, shrugging.  
The guards didn't hesitate to pump the two full of lead, but being ever so sleek compare to the big hunks of metals the guards were at a big advantage compare to the nimble Jak. A few well placed kicks and the guards were easily down. Jak smiled, but he couldn't leave without destroying the ammo, but how?  
"I hope you like the taste of hot missiles!"  
Jak turned around and saw one of the guards was now operating a giant tank. The wheel was spiked, which often ask how it can run so smoothly. It was a red tank with a bit of white mixed in, a bit stubby, but powerful enough that Jak couldn't destroy it himself. Several missiles graced the front.  
The missiles started to shoot randomly towards Jak. Four came at once, every few seconds, so it didn't help Jak at all.  
"We're doomed, DOOMED!" Daxter shouted, "And it's all YOUR fault!" Jak had little choice; he had to runaway and abandon the mission. His life as well as Daxter was of more concern then his revenge on Baron Praxis. After all, if he did not live, how could he get his revenge? A lone missile aimed for Jak and he quickly ducked, but it ended up blasting one of the cooling tank pipes that was attached to the giant missile and the rest of the ammo dump.  
"Of course." Jak gasped, "I got an idea!"  
Jak ran to another cooling pipe.  
"Hey, tall, dark and clunky!" Jak shouted as he cupped his mouth.  
The top half of the tank eyed Jak. Jak grinned and started to slap his butt.  
"Want some of this?" Jak snickered, "Come on, you know you want to, you big lug!"  
"Ummm, Jak, what are you doing?" Daxter gasped, "JAK! This ISN'T such a good idea!"  
The tank eyed him fully.  
"In fact, it's sure as heck NOT a good idea!" Daxter screamed.  
More missiles came from it and Jak easily dodged it. He repeated the process two more times, all the while making insults to the tanker.  
"Countdown in 10 seconds." The female computerized voice droned.

Jak turned around and saw the missile in the ammo dump was going to blow up in that time.  
"We better bloody move." Jak gasped.  
And they did. After all, 10 seconds is not an awful amount of time, now down to five…  
5.…  
4.…  
3.…  
2.…  
1.…  
Time felt slow as the explosive let off. Jak and Daxter manage to run out in time, leaping when near the edge of the door, the explosion causing their jump to be a bit more exaggerated. They flew out of the fortress and outside into the slums. Daxter fell first with Jak landing on him.  
The people nearby the fortress cried in panic when they heard the explosions that they didn't notice Jak escaping from it. He was safe for now. The nearby Krimzon Guards headed for the fortress while Jak took a sigh of relieve. He then felt something rumbling underneath him and saw he was sitting on Daxter. Daxter manage to get half of himself free from Jak. He gasped for air before eyeing Jak.  
"This place has too much excitement. We need to move back to the country!" Daxter gasped, then he sniffed Jak, "Ugh…and you need a shower." Jak just smiled sheepishly.  
But they had more business to fix up, no time for fun and games. Jak now had questions concerning why the Baron would want to help the Metal Heads…  
As they walked, Daxter started to talk, "I wonder if all our missions are going to be this exciting." He mumbled sarcastically.  
**To Be Continued…**


	4. WasteLander! Hunts and Treasures!

**Jak II  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 4: WasteLander! Hunts and Treasures!**

"_We come far, far away from here. But we come in peace. Heh Heh. I always wanted to say that. Getting back to what I just said, we came here to fulfill destiny. This boy is very important. He holds magical powers beyond anything ever known and is the key to a great fight coming soon. We must train him so that he will be able to handle his destiny."  
Samos didn't reveal much the first time through. He was a jovial fellow, but he was certainly old enough to not trust someone right off the bat until he needed to. The little information he had given to me still intrigued me and I wanted to learn more about this destiny.  
"Magic is powerful and the results will be shocking, depending on how you use it." Samos lectured me, "A person of magic senses when someone else has magic. Not many people understand it, the ones who usually don't usually…well, don't."  
"Since I told you everything about the boy and I, I think it is fitting that you watch over the boy."  
"Wait? Me?" I gasped, "You want me to watch over the child?  
"Of course." Samos chuckled, "The boy needs a guardian."  
"Why not you? You seem more suited for the job since you know him more then I." I retorted, unsure on what my mind was leading to.  
"Too risky." Samos shook his head, "I must not get so well connected with the boy lest someone suspicious is watching over us." I remained silent.  
"Please." Samos slightly begged, "The boy needs to be protected until he is ready." I thought hard for a moment. Watching over the small child would be such a huge responsibility. After the disaster with my son, could I truly love another boy? Take him under my wings? Would I replace my only son? This was the biggest decision I ever made and I knew once I made it, I couldn't turn back on it…  
I volunteered to look over him.  
"He needs a name change…for his protection." Samos explained.  
I nodded and taking out a book of names, I searched for the perfect one: Jak. A simple name, but it meant "Child of the Heavens." And the boy…he did fall from the Heavens. _

"Just one thing."  
"What is it, Samos?"  
"Don't get too attached to the boy…"

**………………………**

**Underground HQ, Haven City Slums**  
**Month 5:**_ Mair, Day 15 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_  
Placing a hand on the wall as he walked down the slope to Torn's desk, Jak sighed heavily. Daxter noticed the sorrow look on his friend's face, but he couldn't figure out why he would be so upset? He completed a mission and managed to rub it in the Baron's face. A small step towards revenge. Jak slowly eyed Daxter and smiled slightly which promptly got Daxter to stop worrying. They reached Torn.  
"The _'demolition duo_' has returned! One barbecued ammo dump served up hot!" Daxter proudly shouted as he leaped up to Torn's desk. Again, Torn showed signs of annoyance.  
"LOTS of explosions, Master Torn! I was scared!" Puar suddenly pop out of Jak's pocket.  
"HEY! You didn't even do ANYTHING!" Daxter cried out, "All you did was coward in Jak's pocket!"  
"Master Jak told me to stay in there, so Puar did!" Puar shouted, flying over to Daxter, meeting him face to face, literally.  
"Knock it off, you two, we have to tell Torn." Jak groaned.  
"Tell me what?" Torn crossed his arms, a habit he did constantly.  
"Well, we saw something odd while torching that ammo. The Baron's guards were giving barrels filled with dark eco to a group of Metal Heads!" Jak spoke.  
"Really! The Shadow will be interested to hear that." Torn placed a hand on his chin after the small shock he received, "I'm not all that surprised he would pull off something risky like that. He'll do anything to remain his position as King of Haven City and the entire kingdom."  
"You mean Haven City isn't all he rules?" Jak asked.  
"No, you fool, of course not." Torn sighed, annoyed at Jak's lack of knowledge of the city and its way of life (Jak in return was annoyed at Torn's constant rude attitude), "Haven City is surrounded by many remote areas, something Mar and his descendents can easily take over. But over time, the kingdom of Haven spread it's dominance as they allied themselves with small town villagers. We got a pretty big kingdom and it's not just the city. Baron Praxis rules Haven Kingdom, not Haven City." Torn even showed Jak a map of the entire kingdom and true to his words, it was quite a spread.  
"Oh." Jak nodded, eyeing the map.  
"This city is merely the capital of Haven Kingdom, but the Baron is jeopardizing the kingdom with his senile laws." Torn sighed, "He's willing to sacrifice innocent lives just to destroy the underground. I shouldn't be surprised. I've seen his evil before, while serving in the Krimzon Guard. That's why I quit."  
"You were a Krimzon Guard?" Jak gasped. Torn eyed him, the tattoos would be the most obvious sign to show he was a former Krimzom Guard. Of course Jak knew nothing, but that didn't stop Torn from staring harshly towards him anyways, "Huh. Oh, that explains your... charming sense of humor." Jak sheepishly cleared his throat. Then Daxter popped in. He couldn't go one minute without speaking.  
"You know, so far your gigs have been easier than stealin' grass from a sleeping yakow." Daxter pointed out, "How 'bout some REAL challenge, tattoo wonder."  
"Hee hee hee... You and the rodent want to start proving yourselves? One of our 'suppliers' needs his payment delivered - a bag of Eco ore. Head to the _Hip Hog Heaven saloon_ in South Town. " Torn ordered, giving Jak a map to find the location, "Ask for Krew - he'll be there. And don't let the Baron's patrols stop you. By the way, when you get there, pump Krew for information. He's wired into the city and may know what the Baron is up to." Torn gave the bag of Eco core to Jak who took it, almost loosing his balance. It was slightly heavily that he thought. Torn then turned around, facing his back towards the duo.  
Jak eyed Daxter and vice versa.  
"If you survive, the slums will be indebted to you. If not, maybe we'll have a touching moment of silence in your honor." Torn grinned, still not facing the duo, "Oh, and here. " Torn gave Jak a flat passport, one like the passport keycard Jak found during his Ammo Sump mission.  
"I made a passport keycard for you for the Tram system." Torn came in, "It'll get you to the Port much faster then a zoomer can. Get going, there is a schedule for those rides, you know."  
"You can count on us!" Daxter saluted.  
"Are you still here?" Torn sighed, facing his back towards the two.  
"Come on, Daxter." Jak sighed as his friend leaped onto his shoulder.  
Once outside, Daxter started to badmouth Torn.  
"I'd like to give him a 'touching moment." Daxter growled.

**……………**

It didn't take long for Jak and Daxter to get out of the slums. They reached the industrial area which was an extremely different look then the slums. The most modern looks could easily be seen here. The entire industrial area had metal everywhere. On the ground, the walls, the buildings. Zoomers flew sky high in every direction above the industrial area. Robots and constructions were plentiful here and people, neither rich nor poor walked around, going about their own business.  
During their walk, Daxter had to explain to Jak what a Tram was and after a few minutes of explanation and frustration, Jak finally understood it and found it.  
"Wow, it's huge…and loud." Jak gasped. The tram was a long, skinny machine built to support at least a couple hundreds of people at a time. It traveled by a track which was built high and supported by pillars. People were either waiting/riding the tram or buying tickets inside a station nearby. It was basically Haven City's train system.  
"Yea, well, it's what a Tram is and does, now get in." Daxter suggested, "The passport is what people use to get in the tram. Of course, some just pay for a ticket. The passport you can buy which last for a full year, but it's a LOT expensive to buy. Torn must have been a pretty rich fellow when he got that."  
"Either that or Krimzon Guards are paid awfully well." Jak mumbled.  
"HA! The way they act, I'd be surprised if they get a raise." Daxter scoffed, "Maybe he got it during the previous King's rules, heard he was a much nicer fellow."  
"Yea, whatever." Jak muttered, only half paying attention. He showed his passport ("Thank you for taking Haven City Tram express, Mr. Jikins, have a nice day.")  
Jak then went inside the tram and found out he was in a rather crowded vehicle. Jak squeezed in from the people who were standing and hanging onto ceiling railings and found an empty seat next to an old lady, clutching onto her purse out of fear and protection. Jak took a small sigh and waited as he watched the people slowly walk in. After a few minutes of nothingness, the conductors double checked and all was ready to do. The Tram started to move.  
"Torn's last name is Jikins? How lame." Daxter chuckled.

**Industrial Area, Haven City**  
**Month 5:**_ Mair, Day 16 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_  
The ride came time for Jak to see the other parts of the city through a window. Daxter sat on his lap and Puar flew over Jak's head, eyeing the industrial excitedly despite the repetitive nature. The industrial seemed to go on endlessly over time. The Tram stopped every so often on a nearby station with a speaker latched on top announcing just what part of the city it landed on. It went by for hours. Because both Jak and Daxter left for the tram at late at night, the sun has started to rise. Daxter had fallen asleep in Jak's arms, curled up like the small animal he was. Some of the kids on the Tram stared and commented on Jak's little "pet" and Jak usually just gave a smirk. He too fell asleep a little later afterwards…

**…………………**

"_Who are you?"  
"What?"  
"Who are you?"  
"…..Who is this?"  
"That's what I'm asking you."  
"I'm Jak."  
"Jak…are you sure?"  
"Yes, I've been Jak all my life."  
"There's another side to you…isn't there?"  
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?"  
"A less innocent side?"  
"………………………….."  
"And you are afraid of this power?"  
"Who are you?"  
"I asked you first.  
"I said I'm Jak!"  
"Jak…Jak of Sandover Village…"  
"YES!…………..Wait, how did you know?"  
"I know because I am you. Who knows me better then you?  
"What!"  
"Jak…are you sure you are Jak?"  
"CUT THAT OUT! I'm Jak! I grew up in Sandover Village, the village I was raised in!"  
"But were you born there?"  
"As far as I'm concerned."  
"You fell from the sky?"  
"…I don't remember that."  
"Well, you were unconscious. Your name tells you who you are. Many names do. Jak isn't a commonly used name around here."  
"………."  
"Hey, do you remember the festivals in Sandover village? It's held every fall and we would always have fun."  
"Yea."  
"We would dance and sing and party till the dawn. You were loved by everyone in the village…you were kind…gentle…innocent…what happen now? You're mean, dark, you curse…"  
"People change."  
"You probably wouldn't have if this happen to you…the torture they put you through…you had such a good time in Sandover…you wanted to explore and be an explorer like your uncle…where's your dream now? All you want is revenge. You have impure thoughts……..I like it."  
"Leave me alone."  
"What about Kiera?"  
"Kiera…"  
"Kiera…your first crush. You liked her a lot. You two kissed for the first time when you were both what…9, 10 years old? Both of you curious to see what a kiss felt like.. She was a bully to you when you were little kids…she beat you up a lot."  
"Yea, Kiera is tough."  
"I wonder what she'll think when she sees you again."  
"Is she even here?"  
"Who knows?"  
"Kiera."  
"You also felt something in Dead Town, didn't you?"  
"Yea…you know what it is?"  
"…Maybe. You'll find out yourself, I suppose."  
"…Maybe…"  
"You better wake up, we're here…"  
"Huh? Already?"  
"Wake up, we're here"  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Here…here…We're here…"  
"Wha-"_

**………………**

**"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WE'RE HERE! WE'RE HERE!"**

"AHHHH!"

**…………………**

"Puar, next time, you don't shout like that." Jak grumbled as he got off the Tram and onto the Port.  
"Sorry, Master." Puar dropped a bit low, "Puar is sorry." He started to walk towards the direction he was facing while mumbling, "Kiera." He nearly forgot about her.  
"That's okay, Puar, just…don't yell like that so much." Jak rubbed the inside of his ears to make sure he still could hear, "So this is the port. A hell of a lot bigger then the one back home, eh, Daxter?"  
"That was my first reaction." Daxter grinned. Indeed, the port was 10 times the size of Sandover's port, just not as elegant or innocent. It supported many boats of all size, ranging from boats from the Haven army to small fishermen ships.  
"The water is really pretty." Puar giggled, but she took it back when she saw the edge of the water and saw pollution.  
"Geez, this city is so dirty." Jak groaned.  
"It wasn't always like this." Puar lowered down, "The water used to be pretty." She spoke in an eerily calm voice. Jak and Daxter gave their brief silence.  
"The Baron isn't doing a good job taking care of his people." Puar mumbled.  
"No, he's not." Jak sighed, "Come on, we better go find the Hip Hog Saloon." Jak ordered the two who were both staring at the polluted water. Jak started to walk on the Port.  
The long walk on the port was something Jak didn't mind. After being in prison, Jak enjoyed the sightseeing. The people passing by were all colorful in his eyes, if only most of them weren't so damn rude. All the prisoners basically had on the same prison clothing. The entire port was peaceful and beautiful, unlike the dark and drabby Prison Fortress. A sunset came only a few minutes later, making the entire water even more dazzling. Sealicans (half Seagulls, half Pelicans), were often common in the air. The small, silent, "caw caw" was heard every few seconds. Bars surrounded nearly in every corner and seamen waltzed about, telling their fishing tales to those who would lend an ear to them.  
After about an hour of walking, Jak, Daxter, and Puar were face to face on the doorway to Hip Hog Saloon.  
"Finally, it's about damn time." Daxter sighed, taking in a deep breath of air.  
"Daxter, why are you tired, you were on my shoulder half the time." Jak sighed.  
"Hey, it can be exhausting hanging around your shoulder, buddy." Daxter retaliated. Jak groaned and slowly went in.  
"Okay, now keep quiet, Daxter." Jak placed a hand on his lip as he walked in. Jak then stopped when a tall black man in a silver-ish olive colored armor blocked their way. His expression was like that blonde girl back when Jak first went to the Underground, mean and tough looking.  
"Uhh…are you Krew?" Jak started, "I came here to deliver something."  
The black man looked up and so did Jak. An obese figure lower down to Jak's level. Obese was not enough of a word to describe him. He was enormous. Sporting a green sleeveless tank top with darker green pants, he hovered down on some hover pod big and heavy enough to lift him up The bald headed man came flashing down near Jak, fan in one hand, wine glass in another, each movement jiggling his blubber body. Jak, Daxter, and Puar all stared in great shock. Never have they meant a man so large in their lives. Jak was utterly speechless and the obese man's smell was getting to him, not in a good way either.  
"Are you…Krew?" Jak asked, hoarsely, trying so hard not to stare and look shocked.  
"Who wants to know, 'ey?" The fat man asked back, giving off a disgusted look, Jak stared at him, "…Yes, I'm Krew, what do you want?"  
"Well, here, your Dark Eco shipment," Jak presented the package to Krew who took it greedily.  
"That's good 'ey, because a cargo of rare eco ore is worth more than ten of your lives, mmmm and of course, I'd be forced to collect... ah slowly. Heh heh." Krew grinned, "The Underground will take anyone with a pulse these days." Krew laughed heartlessly for a second there, and then turned his eye to Daxter who still had on his shocked expression.  
"And what do we have here? The Shadow's mascot of the month?" Krew roughly stroked Daxter's head, annoying the heck outta him, but not changing his views on the large man. Not noticing the ottsel's looks, Krew admired more on his fur coat, "Oooh, soft... Sig, this fur would go well with my silk suits, ey?"  
"I'm sorry, he's not for sell." Jak crossed his arms, "This ottsel is my pet and friend."  
"Ottsel? Quite a deal, 'ey?" Krew grinned, "Ottsels are not common here, rumors speak of their extinction. No one has seen an ottsel for so long; people forgot what they look like, mmmm. People who, like me, know ottsel furs are worth millions can bag a handsome sum."  
"He's still not for sell." Jak made it quite clear, frowned face, crossed arms. Krew growled a little. Daxter still has his eyes wide open on the man's physical appearance.  
Jak sighed and started to talk.  
"Look, we did you a favor, now it's our turn." Jak pointed to the fat man, "Why is the Baron giving eco to Metal Heads?"  
"Questions like that could get a person killed 'ey!" Krew continued, " Sig, pay _'el Capitan'_ here and his friends a bonus."

Sig made his way to Jak, looking as though he was about to kill the three, so Jak cringed a little when Sig extended his arm out. His eye were closed for a second, but opened when he saw a gun on Sig's arms. He was giving it to him. Jak slowly took it, eyeing Sig in the process, wondering if Sig would strangle his neck or something. The frown never left his face since they first came in.  
"If you're all that the Underground sees you to be, then why not accompany Sig in one of his Wastelanders course?" Krew grinned.  
"Umm…okay?" Jak was unsure of what he was suppose to do, let alone know what a Wastelander was. He was kind of embarrassed to ask. He already had enough trouble learning the city as it is. Krew had other thoughts as he eyed Daxter.  
"What the hell is wrong with him, 'ey?" Krew asked Jak, "He can't stop staring at me."  
At that point, Daxter couldn't hold it anymore.  
"LOOK HOW LARGE HE IS!" Daxter shouted at the top of his lungs. Jak practically had a heart attack and so did the others except Puar, who did nothing but watch in curiosity. For a brief few seconds, everyone stood in silence. Jak placed a hand to his face.  
"So, a talking ottsel, that's even rarer. I could sell him to some animal freak show for quite a lot of money, ey? Enough that I probably wouldn't have to work as much."  
"NO!" Jak snapped out, "Daxter's with me!"  
"Oh, so he's got a name, 'ey?" Krew grinned, "Still a disappointment that he can't be sold."  
"Hey, I like the furs ON my body and the freak show AWAY from me." Daxter suggested.  
"Big mouth, 'ey?" Krew grinned again.  
"Can we move on, he can talk, okay?" Jak sighed, "No need to spread it around." Krew made a mumbling noise which could have composed of words, but it was hard to tell.  
"Look, what's up with this Wastelander job?" Jak came in, knowing he had no choice to ask. He eyed his gun and tried to see how to work it.  
"What do you need to know? You accompany Sig on his latest mission." Krew sighed.  
"Well, I don't bloody well know what a Wastelander is." Jak was about to be take the verbal abuse for his lack of knowledge, but he didn't as Krew actually explained.  
"Wastelanders find items outside the city walls, 'ey. Any artifact or weapon worth having comes through MY hands." Krew started, "Work for me and I'll throw you some of the sweeter items your way, hmmm".  
"We also hunt exotic animals, particularly the Metal Heads." Sig came in and actually spoke. His voice was rather jovial and proud.  
"Kill Metal Heads. Get toys? Sounds good to me." Jak grinned, eyeing the gun that Sig gave to him.  
"Slow down, Jak and the fat man; you two had better run that by me again, 'cause there's NO WAY I'm going outside the city to face more Metal Heads!" Daxter cried out, "Last time I went outside of city borders was before I met Jak around here and believe me, Metal Heads are NOT creatures you wanna tamper with!"  
"Sig will show you the ropes. "Then he flew off, leaving Sig with the Jak crew.  
"So y'all ready to be wastelanders, huh doughboys?" Sig grinned, his loud booming voice coming in Jak's direction, "Well we'll see what you're made of when we get out in the thick. Krew wants some new trophies to put butts in chairs at the Hip Hog. So I'm gonna bag him some nasty Metal Heads at the Pumping Station."  
Daxter gulped, his claws digging into Jak's shoulder. Jak motioned Daxter to go on the other shoulder, where the metal part was.  
"Don't wet your fur, chili pepper, cause we're rollin' with the Peace Maker!" And Sig showed off his weapon, a long gun and staff combination mix with a Metal Head-ish top on front.  
"Woooooh, I need one of those! Where'd you get it?" Daxter gasped, eyeing the weapon. It certainly looked better then Jak's gun.  
"Don't ask. Sig needs someone to watch his back while he tracks the Metal Heads, 'ey?" Krew interrupted.  
"Come on, we're heading to the Pumping Station, ya got a Tram passport?" Sig asked.  
"Yes." Jak nodded, proud he actually knew something.  
"Listen Cherries, don't you leave me dangling in the wind out there!" Sig pointed to Jak. Jak grinned.  
"Let's do it."  
"Oh, Goodie." Daxter sarcastically groaned.

**………………**

Between the walk to the Tram and the team leaving Hip Hog Heaven Saloon, Jak manage to understand how a gun worked. Sig warned him not to make any unwanted shots lest he catch a KG's attention. Heck, it was best just to put the gun away, so he placed it in a holster on the back.  
"We need to get you a license for that weapon soon." Sig warned, "Can't carry guns around without one."  
"Precursians didn't have to worry about carrying weapons when the former King ruled." Puar mumbled softly, mostly to herself.  
The team later reached the nearest tram.  
The tram slowly took Sig, Jak, Puar, and Daxter to the Water Slums, an area just nearby the Slums.  
"Almost there, Cherries." Sig smiled boldly.  
Jak was quite excited to see Metal heads up close and personal. No more sneaking around or references by pictures and drawings the underground members usually showed him when he asked what they looked like, he'd see 'em face to face this time.  
Jak eyed Sig every once in a while. While he didn't affect Jak and Daxter much, Sig had an intimidated feel to many nearby. His armor was completely Metal Head-ish, making Jak wonder if he made it out of Metal Head shells. And his big figure compare was the complete opposite of Torn's lanky figure. Once again, Daxter fell asleep in Jak's arm while Puar shut herself down and was in Jak's pocket, recharging itself. Only Jak and Sig were awake. The two kept silent, although Sig made a few light conversations here and there, telling bits and pieces of each other. Jak felt more anti-social then Sig was talkative.  
The travel from the Tram lasted for a while, but afterwards, Sig woke up Jak and they found themselves back in the Industrials area. It was late in the night, about 10 PM as Sig lead Jak and an exhausted Daxter out. They took a taxi which flew them to the Water Slums. After Sig paid the toll, Jak saw himself in a watery slum which looked like a dystopian version of Sandover.  
"Welcome to the Water Slums, boys." Sig announced.  
"Hey, I'm not a boy!" Puar flew up, fully charged.  
Sig laughed heartily.  
"I like ya." He quickly pointed, and then he motioned for Jak to move. Jak eyed as much as he could of the small village of the Water Slums, noticing the water, all murky, but not so much as Dead Town's.  
The walkway were wooden bridge like area, some rather mangled then others, but sturdy supporters, nonetheless. The banisters needed some work though, lest someone who can't swim could slip up and drown. The houses were mostly wooden and hut-like in shape and the people generally looked the same as the people of the slums, meaning they looked deadpan and raggedy.  
"Okay, here we are." Sig lead Jak to a large tunnel out. Jak went in the small tunnel where a doorway from there opened for them. Once the door fully opened, Jak was outside to a remote sandy beach location, well, as remote as you can get with. There were machines everywhere. The Baron certainly took over this place.  
"This is the Pumping Station?" Jak asked Sig, "What does this do?"  
"It pumps up clean water for the people of Haven." Sig answered, "Now, come on."

**…………………**

And for the remainder of the night, Jak accompanied Sig on his mission to shot off some Metal heads. Sig kept telling Jak to keep a close eye on him as he charged up his Peacemaker. Jak had to keep other creatures off his back, which came in swarms. Daxter kept screaming and yelling half the time, and Puar, being the handy-dandy COMP that she is, got this all on camera. Only five Metal Head were gathered, but it was already sunrise when the two were done shooting. Afterwards, Jak had to help Sig load up the Metal Heads and literally, cut off their heads for trophies. He watched as Sig did the entire head cutting.  
"What, you don't like cutting up animals?" Sig chuckled.  
"I happen to be a vegetarian." Jak muttered, almost in an annoyed tone. Sig let out another hearty chuckle. The team started to head back inside the city.  
"Ya did good, rookie." Sig grinned as they dragged the bags of Metal head's…er…heads.  
"You'll make a good Wastelander yet." Sig continued, "Come on, let's go home. Maybe Krew will do some good and give you a reward."  
"Yea, I'm sure." Jak mumbled.  
**To Be Continued…**


	5. More To Come

**Jak II  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 5: More To Come**

_He woke up the next morning. A small child. He looked so fragile. Dropping him would crack him open. Kids, I would usually entertain them with stories of my journeys and adventures, but never have I studied a child such as this one. His head was a full set of green with a tad of yellow showing. I made myself a bet that he would be blonde come the age of 12. The child was of average height, shorter then me by about a foot or so. The child's blue eyes intrigued me the most. It was the same color as the sea. When the child woke up from my bed and stared at me, I was ready to give him my comfort. A small, "It's okay, you'll be fine, I'm a friend." Instead, the moment he eyed me, he smiled. Not just a normal smile that a child his age normally makes, instead, his smile showed he already trusted me. It was warm. It was calm. This child wasn't special. He was beyond that point. I had so much to learn from him. After his smile, I hesitantly smiled back and extended my arms, hoping for a hug and the little child; he ran up to me and gave me that very hug. _

_Of course, I would be more amazed when he spoke to me for a first time…_

……………………

**Tram, Haven City**  
**Month 5:**_ Mair, Day 17 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

_  
_The ride back to Hip Hog Saloon gave time for Jak to sleep. It was morning, at least late morning when the Wastelander and Wastelander-in-training were near Hip Hog Saloon.  
"Hey, kid, wake up, we're almost here." Sig gently nudged Jak, who was in a sitting position, but with his face cocked down. Daxter merely watched.  
"Jak doesn't usually sleep in." Daxter spoke softly, which was a surprise considering his loudmouth nature, "But he does when he's up all night. He doesn't do it often though, usually when he's dragging me on his latest exploration."  
"He never partied hard or whatever teenagers do?"  
"Not Jak, he was Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes...or he used to be." Daxter commented, still keeping his voice down so as not to let the people nearby hear him.  
"Puar, why don't you give him some morning exercise?" Daxter grinned. Puar was more then happy to do so.  
"NO, not in the Tram." Sig sighed, "We're not allowed to yell in here. It could be hostile. Look, I'll carry him out if I have to." He didn't have to as Jak moaned and slowly got up. Stretching his arms, he let out a long yawn, making sure to cover his mouth, and then smacked his lips. Eyes half closed, he looked around his surroundings and saw he was in the tram, with his friends facing him.  
"Good morning, Master Jak." Puar giggled, "Puar didn't do morning exercise because Master Jak does not like it when Puar does that."  
"Hey, there, got enough sleep?" Daxter asked.  
"What time is it?" Jak mumbled, rubbing his left eye.  
"Almost 11:30." Sig answered, still smiling. He was easily amused by Jak's behavior.  
"11:30!" Jak gasped, then he let out small groan, "I hate waking up late.  
"Chill out, Jak, it's nothing to be ashamed off, just because you wake up at the crack of dawn and all." Daxter sighed, "Anywho, we got you some food." And with that, Daxter handed Jak a small rectangular wrapped food product. Jak took it and eyed it. Frowning in confusion, Jak took a bite out of it, then took it out.  
" No, no, you unwrap it first." Daxter ordered as he showed Jak the proper way, "It's an energy bar, good for the morning time. And it's kinda like candy."  
"Oh, uh…thanks." Jak sighed as he bit the energy bar, "….It's no fruits, but it'll do."  
"My goodness, you really don't know nuthin' about the city, do you, boy?" Sig scratched his cheek as he spoke. Jak nodded, consuming the energy bar piece by piece, seemingly acting cautious around it like it contained poison.  
"This is good." Jak commented.  
"It's got real berries in it, so I heard." Daxter smiled.  
"Oh, please, everyone knows these berries are just artificial flavors." Sig groaned as he sat next to Jak.  
"Artificial?" Jak gasped, "You mean there's machine part in here?"  
"No, no, artificial isn't just catered to robots, artificial means _"not the real thing."_ Sig answered, "Like how that energy bar does not have real berries, despite it tasting like them."  
"Well, what's in it, then?" Jak asked.  
"You don't wanna know and I don't wanna ruin your appetite, so just eat." Sig smiled. Jak shrugged and ate the rest.

"This is embarrassing. I'm gonna be stuck here for a bloody amount of time and I don't know jack about it." Jak mumbled.  
"Hey, it's alright, kiddo, I don't know much about the country." Sig admitted.  
"You don't?" Jak eyed Sig who nodded, "You're missing out. The country life is wonderful."  
"What's it like?" Sig asked.  
"Well, everyday, we would, the villagers I mean, would wake up at the crack of dawn to start our days." Jak started, "We did many chores around our village to ensure our survival. We feed the livestock, we fixed the windmill, it was always broken, we crop the plants, and we would generally just enjoy the beautiful day. Everyday, rain or shine, I would work hard and play hard. My village…I had many imaginations in my village. I dreamt I was an explorer, navigating tall mountains, spelunking in deep caverns, swimming in the vast oceans, just like my uncle…"  
"Well, go on." Sig ordered after Jak stopped.  
"Uh, Sig, I think he hit a soft spot there." Daxter came in.

"…….It only seemed like yesterday." Jak muttered.

"If only I had a picture of him." Jak mumbled, unaware that the others couldn't make out his words.

He vaguely remembered, but he did carry a picture of his uncle before he was kidnapped and experimented on. In fact, a lot of his personal items were in there, in his bag, before he was kidnapped. When he was taken to the Baron's fortress, one of his many tortures from Praxis was having his precious items completely destroyed in mere seconds by Krimzon Guards. They had flamethrowers at their disposal and Jak watched in horror as his special items, his favorite books, his photo albums, his clothes, everything he had for years, was burnt in mere seconds. And poor Jak, he cried the hardest he ever had. The Baron was erasing his memories and he hated it. Such a fire burning inside his belly, a demon waiting to be unleashed.

………………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 5:**_ Mair, Day 17 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

The palace felt more disturbed then usual. Every time a butler came in with the most elegant food or even a simple cup of coffee, Baron Praxis would just slam his fist onto his desk, yell out some profanity, then fired the butlers. He was not having a good day. He just got the newspaper which held the top news: _The Ammo Dump incident_. The video cameras manage to show a good portion of Jak on his mission. They manage to show a rather dramatic pose he did in the newspaper, fully colored, yet blurry.  
"Your majesty, you need to calm down." Erol came in, who was standing next to him, "It's not fitting for the King to have such a hissy fit in front of people."  
"I CAN HAVE AS MUCH HISSY FITS AS I WANT, DAMN IT!" Praxis shouted, spitting on Erol's face, "I'M THE KING!"  
"Well, yes, but-"Erol started off again.  
"But nothing! My life is slowly going down the crapper!" Praxis walked around his office, slapping the newspaper on his work desktop, "That brat escaped my fortress, only to make a mess out of it. And my crew still haven't found the Tomb of Mar! And the Meal heads…they're getting impatient. By the Precursors, why did I deserve all this!" He once again slammed his fists to his desk, shaking it violently, the hot coffee spilling on the desk and floor.  
Every slam he made, Erol backed away, afraid that the Baron's next target would be himself. Erol watched the King as he took in deep breaths and sighs of relaxation. His patience was wearing thin. When the Baron's patience wears thin, there's always hell to pay.  
Erol, a loyal young man, he was. Feisty, but furiously loyal, he would do anything for his King till death comes knocking on his door. It is almost a shame that Erol is such a young man. Only 21 years old and he has a high reputation as the Captain of the Krimzon Guards and personal Guard to Praxis. He has done a lot for someone of his age. People of his age go to college and study for their future. They get drunk in frat parties, they shop at the Mall section of the city, they gossip and drive, go have summer vacations at the beach. Heh, the only "summer vacation" Erol ever got was a mission held near the beach. Missions, Erol has had plenty of them, and triumphed over them all. It wasn't a surprise that Erol often would be a bit too proud of himself sometimes. Especially with his ability to race. But now I'm getting a little off-subject. At the moment, he felt his loyalty to the Baron was in question for the main reason that he failed to kill Jak when he had the chance. Now, Jak was running around, messing up Praxis' doings and it upset him greatly. Watching the poor Baron suffer was something Erol could not face without his heart being in pain.  
"Your majesty…I…this is all my fault…my doing." Erol lowered his head, "I did not kill Jak in time…now he wanders the city, destroying all the hard work you put into this Kingdom." The Baron stood silent, listening to Erol's words of plea as he kneeled down, bowing his head.  
"I regret all this. It is not my becoming to fail you." Erol shuddered, expecting Praxis to smack him, "Jak is free because of me. I regret this, but I do not regret serving you. I know you are angry with me. I just added another problem in your life and further complicated your plans. But…but if you give me another chance, I will find Jak and I will bring him to you. I'll make him beg on his knees for you. I'll…kill him in front of you if you must; serve his head on a platter, anything. Please, just give me another chance. PLEASE."

Baron Praxis is often seen as a harsh, temperamental, cold man. He had little heart over people and only did what he had to so that he may be King for all time. But the look on Erol's face gave Praxis the look of pity. Erol hardly ever fails him, so that must count for something.  
"Get up, Erol, the floor is dirty." Praxis spoke in a calm manner, "Up your patrols and find Jak and tell _HER _and her troops to keep finding Mar's Tomb."  
"Yes, sir." Erol eagerly smiled. He then saluted and made his way out, his goals to not disappoint the Baron.

…………………

**Hip Hog Heaven Saloon**  
**Month 5:**_ Mair, Day 17 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

The way back to Hip Hog Heaven Saloon ended with a big breakfast in the tavern in the Port and generally friendly chats between Jak and Sig, although again Jak spoke barely much, he was quick and to the point. Krew was busy on the phone and the four (Jak, Daxter, Puar, and Sig) saw a new face in the saloon. It was a blonde girl and like Daxter's nature, he couldn't resist a beautiful lady. Forgetting he was not suppose to speak, he headed straight for the blonde girl who seemed to work as a bartender.  
"Hey sugarplum. You new here? Well, whatcha got that's, uh, hot and... Wait, I've seen you before. You're with the Underground." Daxter gasped, "You gave Jak his bag of goodies and-" Tess quickly hushed Daxter by placing two fingers on his lips.  
"Shhh! I'm Tess. Torn sent me to spy on Krew. Play along, and maybe I'll be able to get a few hands on a few of his secrets. " The blonde girl explained. What she failed to realize is Daxter eyeing Tess' chest and putting in the biggest smile he has ever made.  
"Undercover?" Jak retorted, 'What? Torn doesn't trust me enough?"  
"It's not that." Tess mumbled, "…..Well, okay, it is. But there's more. I mean, you're still new, so he won't completely depend on just yet, plus you were gone all day. He'd figure you'd be back by now. Everyone who talked with Krew is usually back in a few hours. No one can really stand to be around him."  
"Well, that's a big shocker, I wonder why?" Daxter sarcastically popped in, "But enough about me, let's talk about you. Undercover work? Eh? I love "undercover" work, baby!" But ah, two can work better than one. Let me help you out." And with that, Daxter leaped inside and behind the counter where Tess was. There, he started to fiddle with the liquors and wines.  
Tess, a bit impressed at a furry being able to not only talk, but move around like a human, couldn't help but giggle. Jak sighed, sitting on one of the stools, waiting for Krew to finish his phone talk. Sig sat in one of the chairs located on the side of the saloon, drinking.  
"Wow! There sure are a lot of bottles back here." Daxter, fascinated started to drink every one imaginable, "Whew! Ooh that's, ooh that, that goes down aah... Ooh boy, gee ya spose that's real gold floatin' in here? How 'bout this purple stuff? Glug, glug, glug... WHEW!"  
While this was up, Krew finished his phone chat and floated down to face Jak.  
"Back, 'ey?" Krew grinned, "And in one piece." Daxter heard the gruff voice of Krew and climbed up the counter where he caught Krew's eyes, although in his perspective, it felt like many.  
"Hey there, five chins... how's crimes?" Daxter was completely drunk while Jak chuckled, covering his mouth so Krew wouldn't see.  
"What's his problem, 'ey?"  
"Nothin'... I'm just fine... mind your own business…" He fell on the bar table and started to sing in his current drunk manner, "I sometimes feel so very…"  
"Sorry about Daxter's…uhhh…attitude." Jak cleared his throat, "He's a very special ottsel."  
"Yes, special…ottsels are special creatures…because they're rare." Krew commented, "Especially a talking one."  
"He is STILL not for sell." Jak grumbled. Daxter sat up, finishing his song.  
"...DRRYY!…" After his last line, Daxter eyed Krew suspiciously, then started to chat with Krew, "You know what's da trouble with you Krew? You got no vision... This place could be a real swingin' joint... Hop Heg Hiven with more dancin', more mac'n, more WOMEN!" And he continued on and on.  
"He'd still be of value even if he didn't talk…perhaps I should cut off his vocal cords." Krew sighed, deeply as he eyed Jak who was trying to stop Daxter from kissing him. Then Sig came up.  
"The kid's a lot better then I thought, I think he needs more then just the gun we gave him, Krew." Sig commented. Sig gave his hopeful, yet familiar grinning face and Krew gave his frowning one. Krew felt that Jak was somehow special, he had this gut feeling (well, quite literally, you could say), so Krew went out back behind an exceptionally wide door and after a few minutes of mumbling, "Where is it" or "Where did I put it" to full blown profanity, he came back with a small pistol top.  
"Here." Krew threw it to Jak who caught it. Jak eyed it, and then stared back at Krew who eyed him evilly.  
"…..What is it?" Jak asked.  
"It's for use for your gun." Sig smiled, "Place that on the front of your gun and you get the Blaster gun."  
"Blaster?" Jak repeated. Jak did what Sig told him to do. Sig then took his gun and stretch it out, which amazed Jak. The gun was more longer, sleekier, and had a laser point.  
"This is the Blaster." Sig explained, "Your gun is special. It can morph depending on what ammo is given and it can get quite a lot. Push the gun back in if you want it to return to Scatter, stretch it out for Blaster, simple, eh?" He gave the gun to Jak who grinned at his new, "toy".  
"Alright, ya got your new weapon." Krew sighed, "But you got a new mission, boy." He stared gruesomely at Jak, sometimes a little too close which didn't help for Daxter and his powerful ottsel nose.  
Sig backed away and listened.  
"Hmph! We're not doing anything until you tell us why Metal Heads are trading with the Baron's forces!" Jak pointed to Krew, then crossing his arms and suddenly remembering his main reason for being here. He'd show Torn a thing or two on his lack of dependence on newcomers. Sig was quite surprised by what he was hearing. Of course, he wasn't surprised by Krew's sudden anger.  
"I should have had you both knee-capped, ey?" Krew growled, and then he proceeded to answer Jak's question, "All I know is that the Baron cut a desperate deal with the Metal Head leader. Mmmmm, Metal Heads need eco, so the Baron supplies them with regular shipments. In return, the Metal Heads agreed to attack the city just enough to satisfy the Baron's continued rule." After that explanation, Jak chuckled a bit.  
"Yeah, but how long can that deal last?" He explained, arms still crossed.  
"Well, the Baron is running short on eco, 'ey? And the Metal Heads are short on patience. Baron Praxis NEEDS this war to keep in power. Otherwise, the city would put the true ruler on the throne, wherever that little brat is."  
"Little brat?" Jak repeated, "What on Precursia are you bleedin' talking about?"  
"We're getting off the subject!" Krew growled, then he eerily spoke calmly, "Getting back to my original subject, I have a proposition for you, Jak. Racing is the biggest sport in the city! Erol is the undisputed grand champion. He's crazy and dangerous on the track. Haha. My kind of guy. Only a fool would dare race against him, 'ey! And that's where you two come in. A client of mine is looking for a fast driver for her racing team in Mar's memorial stadium. Here's a security pass to get you into the stadium section." Krew threw a green passport to Jak. Before Jak could say anything, Krew shoved some papers to Jak.  
"Uh, and your contract, with just a few trifles for me. I've ah, already signed your name to save time, mmmmmnn." Krew grinned.  
Jak grabbed it and stared at this, "My last name isn't Bannon and I don't write like this!"  
"Well, first off, I don't know your last name and don't care, second of all, people love publicity and attention, _"Jak Bannon"_ would be a fitting name for racer." Krew grinned.  
"My last name is-" Jak didn't have time to finish, as Daxter climbed off the table and grabbed the contract.  
"Bannon?" Daxter gasped, "HEH! What kind of last name is THAT?" With his tone of voice, he was no longer drunk, though things like that happen whenever something big catches Daxter's attention, plus he had an exceptionally fast thinking mind. He read the contract.  
"We the racers hereby agree to give Krew all proceeds from race earnings, endorsement fees, broadcast royalties, syndications residuals, vehicle sponsorships, mall appearance fees, collectible card assets, fast-food tie-ins, use of likeness rights, talk show deals, clothing lines, all print rights including book, novella, comic, pamphlet, tickertape, neon sign and bathroom graffiti designs... " Daxter took a deep breath and turned the page, continuing while Jak looked on, bit peeved over his last name dilemma.  
"Toy rights, shoe lines, mood rings, game rights. " Daxter gasped, seemingly offended, "GAME RIGHTS!" He continued to read.  
"Vitamin endorsements, city kickbacks, movie deals, and of course, all death and dismemberment accident insurance claims."  
"Heh heh heh... we can work out the tiny details later. Now, go to the Race Stadium." Krew grinned, "There should be a map in the passport I gave you."  
"You seem awfully too optimistic towards me." Jak gulped, "What makes you think I'll be a good racer?"  
"Ever read the papers?" Krew asked.  
"The news-what?" Jak scratched his head.  
"Oh, it's those black and white bundles of paper that tells news." Daxter answered, "Very handle...and they have funny comic strips, too." Krew tossed one to Jak and he saw himself during the Ammo Dump mission. He's picture was blurry, but it was clear as day that the man in the photo was him.  
"No one can get in and out of the Fortress in one day." Krew smiled, "You're special, Jak, I feel it in my guts."  
"I'm sure that's not the only thing you're feeling, Tub O' Lard." Daxter came in, eyes half closed.  
Jak eyed the newspaper, still strange of it's concept and he wonders how they got him on picture, though he did remember one of the many technologies involve things called _"Video Cameras"_ that can tape whatever it sees. Jak then eyed the passport and he immediately remembered the name, Erol.  
"Erol." Jak repeated. Erol was Praxis' right hand man. Mess with him and the Baron could severely be damaged. He remembered how much the red headed man sneered and insulted Jak while he was struggling for help, while he was being tortured. His grins and laughter...Jak hated Erol almost as much as Praxis.  
"Fine, I'll take your offer." Jak grinned, "And I'm gonna win."  
"Make me proud, mmmm!" Krew came in.

……………………

Jak started to leave the saloon with Sig barely catching up to him.  
"JAK!" He cried from a distance. Jak stopped and turned around.  
"Jak, be careful." Sig sighed, "Krew isn't a man you can trust so easily."  
"I'll be fine." Jak shrugged.  
"Heh, that's what my little brother said one day back at my old home." Sig crossed his arms while Jak stared at him out of curiosity, "When he was a preteen, he made a mess out of himself. He joined thugs, did drugs, stayed up all night, and just plain terrorized the neighborhood. When mama asked him what was wrong with him, he said, _"I'll be fine_". But he wasn't. This all happen because he got involved with a kid named with a penchant for trouble. It took years, but my little bro is finally in rehab."  
"What's your point?" Jak asked, frustrated at being treated like a child.  
"My point is, don't trust people right off the bat." Sig pointed out, "I, too, made a lot of mistakes in my past, and I'm sure you have as well, but this is just a simple warning."  
"What does it bloody matter?" Jak sighed, "This city is messed up enough as it is."  
"Not always." Sig then sat on the edge of the port, as did Jak and Daxter.  
"The city was bustling with beauty and optimism three years back when Praxis' older brother and direct heir to Mar was still King." Sig started.  
"Tell me something I don't know." Jak mumbled.  
"Jak, you seem to not have seen the city before the Baron's rule." Sig responded, "The entire Kingdom was shining with faith and it didn't look as messed as it is now. I've seen it. I'm no rich child. Far from it. I grew up pretty poorly, but I saw the Haven folks all having faith because they believed in the King. He was an exceptionally good ruler. But now, it's all dwindled down. People lost hope. They thought everyone was dead: The King, the Queen, and their only child."  
"A child?" Jak eyed him.  
"Yes, a little boy." Sig smiled, "The King and his Queen took a really, really long time to have a child…if he was alive, he'd be about 8."  
"The child is dead?" Jak gasped.  
"From what I heard, but I have been hearing rumors he is alive." Sig stood up, "And if he is, he may be our only hope for this Kingdom." Sig stared at the view in front of him. Jak did so as well, intrigued by a story he normally wouldn't care about.  
"Praxis is offering a hefty reward for the prince's return; alive." Sig continued, "I don't know what he wants with the kid, could be his powers."  
"Powers?" Jak muttered.  
"Mar's descendents, the first-borns anyway, are born with tremendous powers said to be bestowed by the Precursors themselves." Sig answered, "We're not quite sure what powers; we don't get to see them as much as we don't see the royal family." Jak merely stared at Sig, unsure on what to say.  
"Oh, I'm just boring you, you best be moving." Sig pushed Jak, "I gotta wait for my next mission from Krew. So, go on, run, you fool." And after another push, Jak, Daxter, and Puar were on their way. Sig watched as he smiled.  
The Tram ride lasted until Jak, Daxter, and Puar ended up in the Mall Area of the city. The entire city was bustling and out of all the places Jak has been to so far, he admired this one the best.

…………………

The Mall area isn't exactly a mall, per say. It's called that because there are many malls surrounding here and the commercial values this place stacks. Suburban home are aplenty. Teenagers are the main center here. They pretty much conquered this section of the area. The Mall Area is also known as the Entertainment District. Everything, from movie theaters to concerts to outdoor café, this place has it all and it was designed for teenagers, who dominated these places, so Jak didn't feel so out of place. The streets have a very beautiful feel to it, especially during the nighttime. This is most likely the most dazzling place out of the entire city, some people would say.

What's really weird is the vast amount of nobles who live here. Because this is also the richest and most vast part of the city, the nobles dwell here like packrats. They built their multimillion companies, they scoff at lesser beings, and there are even stores catered to them, such as elegant fancy restaurants to high priced shoe stores. The Middle Class and the Nobles don't clash very often. They tend to avoid each other at all cost, making this part of the city one of the safest part of the city ever. For joy on the both the Middle and High Class, the area has lots of casinos. Lots of people gamble in here and if you don't watch out, you'll be mighty addicted to it. It is an exceptionally wonderful site. Though the real flaws is the overcrowded areas and the many traffics.

What currently caught Jak's eyes were the multiple neon-based signs, all colorful and brightly shining despite the afternoon sky.  
"Hey! These are the movies and malls I told ya about!" Daxter gasped, "We should go to one when we have the time."  
"Yea, we should." Jak nodded, "This entire place looks quite busy though."  
"Yea, teenagers dwell here ALL the time, Jak." Daxter answered, "They ruled this area, unconditionally."  
"Hmm." Jak pondered. Jak made a mental note to come back here to fully explore it once he had time.  
"Wanna get to your destination faster, just call a taxi." Daxter explained, "Just shout "_TAXI!"  
_Jak, hesitating, shouted the word and in seconds, a heavy two-seater, yellow zoomer came up next to him.  
"Where to, bub?" came a mustached man, looking around 30 years old.  
"Oh, ummm…the Stadium." Jak answered. The Taxi driver nodded and off they went.  
Because of the many sights to see, Jak extended his neck to see the many views the many of the entertainment district: glowing neon signs, billboards, locations and entertainment, the teenagers and nobles passing one other, one group insulting and teasing, the other storming off in utter disgust, among others.  
"This is one of those days you wish you had a camera." Daxter muttered.  
"I have a built in camera with me!" Puar cried, "I'll take pictures on your command, Master Jak."  
"Jak, tell her to take some pictures!" Daxter nudged him. Jak sighed and ordered her, too.  
In about a matter of 30 minutes, Jak reached the Stadium Area. Jak some currency from Daxter and Torn paying him, so Jak had the money to pay for the taxi driver who eagerly accepted it and drove off.  
When Jak turned around to face the Stadium, he was in awe…it was…beautiful.

There, surrounded by a barely littered clean pavement with blooming flowers next to trees stood the beautiful and awe-inspiring Mar Memorial Stadium. And for a good few seconds, Jak saw the city's Heaven.

As Jak walked pass the sparkling fountains and majestic statues, he stopped at a computer screen located between two spiky trees held by a pole. It explained the origins of Mar's Memorial Stadium through pictures and voices, like a documentary:

"_Racing is not only a favorite among the people of Haven Kingdom, but an honored tradition since the days of Mar himself since he loved the power of racing. The nobles themselves consider racing an honorable sports event and they would watch and gamble off of it constantly._  
_The history of the Stadium goes all the way to the time of Mar's death. Because of his love for racing, the people built the Stadium in his honor and named it the "Mar Memorial stadium". Back then, only nobles could race, but as time grew, others could join in as well. Now, people of all class, provided they have the contracts and teams and such, can race their hearts out. Their grand champion at the current moment is Captain Erol of the Krimzon Guard, an unbeatable young man. It is place where almost everyone can see eye to eye on a subject._  
_The other common things that goes on in this stadium are the Festivals and parties. Sometimes the stadium is reserved for big time concerts and popular plays. The current celebration in planning is the city's 300th year, and they're planning to make it a good one._  
_Near the Stadium are locations of popular and celebrity inhabited stars. Celebrities are exceptionally common here and very famous to teenagers and even nobles alike. One of the most famous star is actor, Michel Pet'ri. Most of the actors are considered nobles as well."_

After Jak got that bit of info, he continued to wonder around the stadium with his face turning every few seconds to check every single detail of the Stadium area, unaware of the man coming his way.  
When Jak got his act together, he saw a rather…suave figure. He had blonde hair like Jak did that reached to his upper neck and deep hot pink eyes that seem to sparkle and glimmer. Donning rectangular shaped pink sunglasses and two pink, star shaped stickers or tattoos of sorts on his left cheek, his face was a confident, flamboyant feel. His teeth were pearly white and his tan shirt was half button, making any teenage girls drool madly over him, covered over by an open blue overcoat that felt very Victorian, the style of clothing the nobles seem to wear. His pants were black as well as his expensive shoes, almost looking as if the two clothing were glued together. His one hand was coxed on his hips which were extending out sideways while his other hand hung freely.  
He had two assistants with him, a woman dressed in colors of pink and light green and sporting a bright light green ponytail with bangs. To top it all off, she had overdid her make-up and also donned a rectangular sunglasses and star tattoos, one on each cheek, only light green in color. The other was a short man, about 5'4 wearing mostly clothes of blue and indigo, a sash around his neck, also donning blue rectangular glasses and two blue star tattoos on his right cheek. He was easily the most flamboyant of the three. All three stared at Jak as if he was some insect.

"Uhhh, excuuuuuse me, but…did you just bump into _moi_?" the blonde spoke.  
"Sorry." Jak cleared his throat, trying to make his way pass the three. The colors were killing his eyes.  
"Do you know who I am?" the blonde man asked.  
"No, not really." Jak shrugged, "Do I need to know?"  
"I am…Michel Pet'ri, famous actor/_seeger_/dancer…and _luver_." The last word he said, he added a little bit of lust to it which freaked poor Jak out. His voice was a different accent that that of Jak's.  
"And _thees_ is my assistant, Ginger and Mimo." Michel introduced.  
"Umm…okay, hi to you all." Jak quickly waved, "Look, it's nice meeting you…Michel, but I have to-"  
"UPP UPP UPP!" Michel placed his index finger on Jak's lip to hush him up, "My name must _ne-ver_ be spoken again from the same _persaan_."  
"Ummm…okay?" Jak gulped, "Look, it's nice meeting you all, but I must leave."  
"_Leeve?_" Michel gasped, "After you bumped into _moi_?"  
"I said I was sorry." Jak sighed, getting aggravated.  
"Sorry is not good enough, especially for people like you." Michel pointed.  
"People like me?" Jak retorted back, "What do you mean by THAT!"  
"He means, you lower beings." Ginger came, then she walked up to Jak in a weird way, almost like she was dancing, "I mean, look at your clothes, it's so…so…drab…so…slum. You MUST be a slum dweller!"  
"Ha! It's amazing how a slum dweller is walking in these parts without begging for food." Mimo, the short man came, walking as though he was floating in the sky, "Though, I do admit, he doesn't look half bad." Mimo poked Jak's chest. Jak, blushing madly from fright, moved back a few spaces.  
"Look…" Jak started, "Do we really need the insults? I mean, it's just a bump."  
"You bumped into my recently ironed _sheert_." Michel scoffed, "It was wrinkle free until you came in and messed it all up!"  
"Wha-it's just a shirt." Jak mumbled.  
"Maybe to a low life like you." Michel scoffed again, "After all, I bet you wear the same outfit everyday. That's probably why you _steenk_."  
"I take showers!" Jak gasped, near shouting.  
"It must come from that HORRIBLE rat." Ginger retorted. And with that, Daxter growled an ottsel growl.  
"It's an ottsel." Jak corrected.  
"_Ott-sal_ or not, it is hideously _oogly_ and smelly, too!" Michel held his nose and Daxter growled some more. Jak gave looks to Daxter, urging for him to NOT talk.  
"Why do you insist on carrying an animal on your _shoul-dar_, it's dirty!" Michel cringed.  
"Daxter is my friend." Jak sighed.  
"My gosh, he named that atrocious being." Ginger stuck her tongue out.  
"And you're no prize yourself." Mimo pointed to Jak, "Although with my make-ups, you could look better the Michel."  
"AHEM!" Michel stared at Mimo.  
"I mean about as good as Michel." Mimo nervously chuckled.  
"No thank you." Jak crossed his arms, "I don't wanna look like pretty boy over here. I'm fine on my own! Now, get the hell out of my way or bugger off! I don't have time for this!"  
"Fine, let us leave, this _scoun-dral _is not for us to waste our times with." Michel walked past Jak and the other two followed.  
"After all, a _scoun-dral_ is what slum dweller _weel_ always be. There is no hope for people of your dirty ol' kind." Michel laughed., "The only one more worth us is the _Keeng_ himself." Jak was pissed and much as he tried to hold it in, he couldn't let this be unsaid:

"WELL, IF I WAS BLOODY KING, THE FIRST THING I'D DO IS TEACH YOU BASTARDS A LESSON ON PROPER SOCIALISM AFTER I HANG YOU OVER A FLAGPOLE BY YOUR KNICKERS!"

And of course, the three took it as an insult and walked off that way. The surrounding people who heard Jak were mainly plain folks and most of then applauded Jak's attempt, others (mostly fans) cried out in foul, and the rest just stared and walked off. The Krimzon Guards who heard the yell merely shrugged it off as well.  
As for Jak, his anger was burning inside him. When he was angry, something started to happen to him. He wasn't sure of what, but he feels something burning inside him. Something that was eating him alive. It felt…dark. Jak didn't know how so, but he felt his "other" side nearing him. Jak took in some short breaths as he fell on his knees, clutching his stomach.  
"Jak? Jak?" Daxter gasped, "Are you okay?"  
"Master Jak!" Puar shrieked, "Master Jak, are you okay?"  
"Daxter…"Jak mumbled softly, "I think…I'm going to faint."  
And he did…

………………

"_So, I almost took over you…"  
"What?"  
"I almost took over you…made you a demon again…"  
"How could you?"  
"I'm your other side."  
"No…"  
"Yes, I am…I was created because of your doings…You sent us to the past, you silly fool…and someday, I will come out of this innocent shell and rage terror…"  
"But…I'm good…"  
"Are you?"  
"………………"  
"You waltz around cursing, rampaging around just to get revenge, you're angry all the time…you don't smile much anymore, if ever…you lost the good in you, so why don't you let me take over? I can stop the Baron. I will make him spill blood. I am your inner demon. Let me kill him. I'll eat his carcass if I have to."  
"I'm good!"  
"You say you're good, but you're only denying yourself in the inside."  
"Shut up."  
"Why? Only going to be a matter of time before you succumb to me…you're not innocent anymore, the, time will come when the darkness will engulf you whole. Nothing can change that fact. Dark Eco runs in your veins now, it's time to let go of all the light you hold and unleash your true self."  
"I SAID STOP IT! I'M NOT EVIL! I admit, I'm angry a lot and I…I…curse a lot…and I do all these stuff that makes me a criminal in the city's eyes, but I'M NOT EVIL! I never will be! I CAN'T! I…I don't want to be you…"  
"You were me before…you will be me again…and once of these days, you will never return to your light side again…"  
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"  
"Do you see the light…?"  
"WHAT!"  
"The light…you're waking up…"_

………………

"He's awake!" Jak heard the shrill sounds of Puar. He couldn't see much yet. His eyes were still not fully open. Daxter came running in when Puar announced Jak's recovery. Jak slowly, but surely opened his eyes and saw Daxter and Puar staring right back at him.  
"Jak?" Daxter softly whispered.  
"Daxter…Puar…" Jak weakly spoke their names. Daxter breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Master Jak is alive!" Puar screamed in pure delight. Jak clutched his head which felt like splitting in two.  
Jak noticed he was not in the Stadium, but in a small clinic. His boots were off and carefully laid next to the bed he was on. His goggles and gloves carefully placed on the cabinet next to him which held a lamp and a glass of water.  
"Where am I?" Jak mumbled.  
"In a small clinic near the Stadium." Daxter answered. There was no one in the room, so Daxter spoke in a normal level, but not too loud, a nurse was nearby outside, "A teenager called one of the Krimzon Guards and he manage to get you to this clinic."  
"Oh." Jak sighed, "He didn't recognize me as an Underground resistance?"  
"Well, if he did know, you'd be in jail by now." Daxter answered. Jak nodded, then he slowly got up until he was sitting. Puar and Daxter kept a close watch on him. Then the nurse came and she noticed Jak was up.  
"Oh, my dear, you're up." the nurse gasped, placing a hand on her chest. She was pudgy figure, even on the cheeks on her face. Her hair was short and dirty blonde and she looked to be in her mid 40's. She seemed to be the type to be watching over her children with patience and love.  
"Are you alright, dear?" the nurse asked, feeling Jak's forehead, which was half covered by the red scarf/bandana he wore.  
"I'm fine." Jak nodded slowly, "My head hurts a little, but I'm fine."  
"Oh, then, here." The nurse went to a nearby cabinet and got out a small white bottle. She opened it and took out a small orange tablet. She took the glass of water next to Jak and ordered him to swallow the pill. Not asking any question, Jak did so.  
"Will he be okay, Miss Nurse Person?" Puar asked, obviously worried, her lens showed her emotions and now, she was feeling blue.  
"It's okay, Puar, I'll be fine." Jak weakly answered, "I get sick easily."  
"Do you know why you fainted?" The Nurse asked.  
Jak pondered for a brief moment, but he couldn't remember, so all he could do was shake his head.  
"Oh, you poor thing." The nurse commented, and then she rushed to the phone, "Can you tell me your parent's home number? I'll have them come pick you up." Jak  
"Oh…that's a problem." Jak sadly spoke.  
"Why?" The nurse asked.  
"I don't have parents." He muttered, looking ashamed.  
"Are you an orphan?" The nurse gasped. She was an emotional, overactive fellow.  
"No…sorta." Jak sighed, "I live on my own…don't worry about it." Jak spoke softly, his voice showing he was still tired.  
"I see." The nurse slowly nodded.  
"How long have I been sleeping?" Jak asked.  
"Hours, it's nighttime now, sweety." The nurse opened the window, "And I must be leaving to go back home soon."  
"Oh, okay, I should leave, too." Jak explained.  
"Nope!" The nurse stopped Jak in his tracks, "You're staying here for the night. There are Krimzon Guards watching over, so you'll be safe. Now, get some rest and by tomorrow you'll feel better." Jak was too tired to argue, so he let the nurse tuck him in like a little child.  
Jak was a bit afraid to fall asleep. Something inside of him was telling him something "dark" might happen. But his temptation to close his eyes urged him to sleep in but a few minutes after he was tucked in. Afterwards, the nurse left when she felt sure Jak was asleep. Daxter then curled up next to Jak like a dog and Puar shut herself down to recharge.

………………

**Mar's Memorial Stadium**  
**Month 5:**_ Mair, Day 18 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

_  
_It is a most difficult task to survive in a world you've never remember ever being in. Never remembering, putting your foot down. All the people you walk pass by are not familiar in your eyes. You don't say _"hi"_ to them every morning with a friendly tone and with a city as depressed as ever, why should a _"hi"_ even be said? None of the people seem to trust each other. Everyone could be a thief who pretends to be friends, only to have your expensive watch stolen the next day. This wasn't Sandover village at all. Not even close. Sandover was bright and happy. It was a colorful town with familiar people Jak grew up throughout his years. With their smiling faces, Jak has learned to trust them as his friends and fellow neighbors. He would wake up every morning to say _"hi"_ to them and they, in turn, would say, _"hi"_ back in a friendly tone. The entire village was never oppressed. They flourished every year. The great suns made their crops grow, and the vast, clean, ocean made it easy for the fishermen to catch fishes. It was home. Home to Jak and Daxter. At the rate they were going, the two wouldn't find home anytime soon. Daxter has had two years to do so, but he never found it. He couldn't, he wouldn't last a day with Metal Heads. And Jak, he would not leave until he had extracted his revenge. And so, come morning time, Jak continued his mission, knowing that acing Erol could hurt the Baron's line of defense.

"Ya know, this could be it." Daxter gasped, "If you're lucky and race and win, you could make your way to the Baron."  
"What do you mean?" Jak asked. The stadium was close by.  
"Don't ya know that the Grand Tournament Race is coming up in a few months or so?" Daxter asked to a confused Jak, "Oh, right, of course, you don't know anything."  
"Well?" Jak urged.  
"Well, once every year, when that tournament is held, the winner gets to have a special tour of the palace." Daxter started, "Maybe you can get your revenge there."  
Jak grinned. Not an idea. Maybe this whole racing deal was a good thing after all.  
They reached the stadium after their little talk and judging by Jak's map skills, he managed to find the garage in about a few seconds.  
It was a small garage, nothing huge: The Zoomer Express.  
The "Zoomer Express" housed a veteran racer. Having won many trophies during her stay, the mechanic that owns this place is an exceptionally skilled racer and…well, mechanic. In her shop, she not only makes zoomers, but fixes them as well. People consider her to be one of the best in what she does. Her garage is often a mess and cramped to boot, but large enough to store at least three to four zoomers of all size. Rumors spread of a "secret project" the mechanic has been working on behind the curtains, but she has made sure no one will witness her creation. The mechanic has been a big help in the many festivals held near the Stadium area. She's also skilled in jetboarding, making various prototypes of them. The mechanic also has a tendency to be rude sometimes, no matter how much she denies it sometimes…

Jak causally walked in, observing his surroundings. He didn't find the mechanic anywhere.  
_"_Ah... hello? Krew said someone was looking for a race driver?" Jak shouted a little.  
"Huh? Oh, hi, I'm over here." came a female voice. Jak followed it and saw that she was behind a large green curtain. Her silhouette was shown though.  
"Umm, hi, we need to talk." Jak was able to life the curtain, but the girl stopped him in time.  
"DON'T open the curtain or you'll regret, buddy." She spoke in a loud, yet eerie tone. Jak sighed and backed off. He waited. Knowing he was doing just that, the girl took a deep sigh and started to talk again.  
"Look, I'm busy right now. You must be Krew's new errand boys." The girl spoke, "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not interested in any new drivers right now, and I've got work to do." Jak muttered Krew's name in disgust for having stirred him wrong. Maybe he didn't want him around in his Hip Hog Saloon. He turned his attention back to the girl.  
"Is there anything we can do?" Jak suggested. And with that, the girl stood up in a panic and started to shield her work.  
"No! I'm... ah... working on a secret, ah... ah... 'vehicle project'." She gulped.  
"Okay, sorry…" Jak sighed, sounding almost offended. This was getting nowhere, so he decided to confess, "Look, listen, I just need to be on someone's team. I have to win to get to the Baron's palace."  
"Is there a reason why?" The mechanic sarcastically asked, "What, are you his number one fan or something?"  
"Yea, I'm REAL friend of the Baron." Jak sarcastically spat back. Again, she was silent.  
"Look, don't you have anything better like bothering someone to collect money from, or beat up, or something?" She retorted.  
"You don't like us, do you?" Jak asked.  
"You work for that slime ball Krew. What's not to like?" Her voice spoke in utter hatred. Jak eyed the place around some more until he witness the blue shelf which housed the many racing trophies the mechanic had won.  
"Looks like you've won a few races." Jak grinned.  
"Yeah, why?" She asked.  
"Could you get me into the palace?" Jak asked, "I mean, can't you race for me or let me join? I know you don't want new racers, but I'm kinda desperate."  
"Don't I just love it when guys are desperate." Again with the sarcasm.  
Jak growled in frustration, placing both his arms on his face.  
"BLOODY HELL!" Jak shouted with clenched teeth, "Look! I've been through a LOT OF SHIT! Probed, blown up, dissed, almost eaten, and JUST YESTERDAY, I FAINTED! YOU DON'T SEE A GROWN MAN FAINTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET! ALL. I'M.ASKING.FOR.IS. OKAY! I'll help you out if you stop bothering me!" The mechanic yelled back, but it was enough for Jak to hear her talk, "I saw an old maintenance elevator at the base of one of the Palace support towers. That old lift might take you up to the palace, IF you can find a way to turn on the elevator's power."  
"Do you know how?" Jak asked.  
"I'm a mechanic, not an egghead." The mechanic scoffed, "I gave you all the information I know, now leave…me…alone."  
"Okay, okay, sheesh." Jak sighed, then he left, "What a bitch."  
"I HEARD THAT!" She cried out as Jak left.

……………………

"Now what? How do we power up the support tower?" Daxter asked once outside. The two were now sitting on a bench next to a tree, so the shade was nice. There was a nice breeze blowing, causing the tree's leaves to breeze ever so slightly. Spring was one of Jak's favorite weather. The air was not too hot or too cold, it was just right. Not to mention spring time was one of the few seasons where he doesn't get sick all the time. Although summer was slowly approaching.  
"I don't know, Daxter." Jak sighed. His revenge to the Baron wasn't going the way he planned. Although he did feel calm, sitting on that bench, with Daxter on his lap, Puar watching over, doing absolutely nothing. The calm wind was blowing past his blonde hair and the trees, the birds chirped as they passed by, for once in his entire life…Jak felt like he was home…

"MASTER JAK HAS A MESSAGE!" Puar shouted, disturbing Jak.  
Jak growled in yet another burst of frustration before telling Puar to send the message. Puar used her lens and out came a small holographic image of Torn.  
"Torn?" Jak asked. He moved his hand back and forth, passing the small image of Torn.  
"I'm a hologram, Jak." Torn sighed.  
"A holo-what?"  
"Never mind." Torn groaned, "You busy, 'cuz I got another mission for you."  
"Are you sure you can TRUST me enough with it?" Jak sarcastically spoke, arms crossed.  
"Look, you want it or not?" Torn growled.  
"What is it?" Jak sighed.  
"One of the Baron's mining operations is under attack by the Metal Heads." Torn started.  
"That's not OUR problem." Jak hissed, the mere mention of the word, "Baron" was enough to feel his heart with anger.  
"It IS our problem when the foreman's one of the Underground's best informants! His name is Vin, and he's just valuable enough to save." Torn cried out, then he displayed a map which Puar showed, "Find the warp gate at the Power Station and use it to travel to the Strip Mine so you can rescue Vin's pathetic hide." And with that, Daxter came outta nowhere and went straight to Puar's face.  
"Hey, Tattooed Wonder, how come we get all the crappy missions!" Jak urged Daxter to be quiet.  
"Because I... DON'T... LIKE... YOU!" Torn, despite being a small hologram was still fearful enough to make Daxter run back in intimidation. Daxter then tripped over Jak's leg and fell.  
"Fair enough…"  
"Whatever deal the Baron made with the Metal Heads, the city's eco is almost gone, and his time is running out. If we don't get the kid back on the throne soon, there may not be a city left to defend!"  
"Kid?" Jak gasped. He briefly remembered Sig saying something about the kid, but he didn't give it much thought, "So…Vin is a mining operator for the Baron. Nice to know he can lead a double life."  
"He has access to many of the technologies around here." Torn stated, "He used to be the head Minister of Science until the Baron's rule where he was cast down to mining operative."  
"The minister of science?" Jak repeated.  
"Yep! The head science guy person in charge of all things science." Puar came in, "Vin was promoted WAY back when the late King's father was in the throne."  
"Wow, old guy." Daxter nodded.  
"Well, get moving, unless you have something that's stopping you?" Torn wondered.  
"I'm going." Jak sighed. Then Torn cut off and the trio were on their way.  
"I swear, he hates us enough to give us the crappy mission." Daxter complained…again, "Maybe if Torn told us to rescue a chick, then that'll motivate me…"  
**To Be Continued…**

………………

**Author's Notes: **Michel is suppose to be have a very French accent, or in their world (by my own portrayal of Jak's world), Western Haven. Anything of Michel's speech that involves _italics_ means he's accent is the most strongest there. Jak's British accent is common Haven speech.


	6. The Scientist, The General, and The Chil...

**Jak II  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 6: The Scientist, the General, and The Child**

_The first few months with the child I named Jak were some of the most extraordinary moments I have ever experienced. I've lived alone for quite some time now, so it was a very strange feeling to have someone else walking in my hut. The child was full of boundless energy and can never seem to stop smiling. In time, after paying close attention, I discovered what he liked to do, what his favorite food was, what his favorite books and stories were, his favorite locations, among others. He was silent throughout the few months, so it was quite an amazement that I manage to know this much about him when he never uttered a word. I asked Samos why he never spoke and he never could give me an answer.  
"He has spoken before." Samos told me, "Maybe he forgot?"  
Forgot? How can one forget how to speak?  
"I'm sure in due time he'll say something." Samos mumbled, "Give it time."  
So, I did…then one night, as I sat on my chair and read my textbooks as per usual, Jak came up to me.  
He stared at me (I stared back), then he spoke for the first time to me…  
"Someone close to you is going to die."  
I just sat there for a good few minutes, analyzing what he meant by those words. Jak just kept staring at me with that concerned face. Not only did he speak to me for the first time, his words struck an arrow in my heart. No child his age would ever speak words like that. And his first words spoken to me is the subject of death? How depressing. I decided to question him, just to be clear._

"_What do you…mean someone close to me will die?"  
"…You'll know in three days."  
"How? Who told you this?"  
"…The precursors."  
"The…The precursors?"_

_He proceeded to nodding._

"_No longer in this world…the last remaining Precursors remain in Precursor eggs, waiting for their descendents to awaken them, so they can reach the Promised Land. Many have reached it during this planet's life."  
"The…The Promised Land?"  
"Promised Land…The Land of Golden Hopes…Heaven…it goes my many names. We go there when we die, if we are of pure hearts and has done good."  
"…And if we did badly?"  
"…You go to the World of darkness…the land of hatred and fire…and you can never get out. You will be tortured there forever."  
"So I've heard."  
"Someone you love dearly will be gone…she will enter the gates of the Promised Land."  
"…Who?"  
"You'll see."_

_Then Jak got off the chair he sat on across from me, and was ready to leave, but not without saying another word,_

"_If you need someone to cry with…I'll be here."_

_Then he left.  
And in three days, someone close to me did die…my mother. I kept in contact with her often and made sure to visit every chance I got. My father walked out on me as a child, so my hardworking mother supported me every step of the way to get me this far. And now, with her dead, I did, indeed cry…and Jak indeed was here in my time of need. He did not say anything…just two words…_

"_I'm sorry."_

………………………

**Tram, Haven City**  
**Month 5:**_ Mair, Day 18 (Spring Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"TURN LEFT!" Puar shouted, giving off the location to the Power Station.  
"Puar, don't shout." Jak groaned, "I'm right here."  
"I am sorry, Master Jak!" Puar sniffled, "Puar will be quieter. TURN RIGHT!"  
Jak growled in frustration as he slapped his face with his hand. Daxter, used to loudmouth people (like himself), found this more amusing them annoying. Though even he was annoyed constantly with the little COMP. The three were atop a light blue zoomer Jak found parked on a wall, using it to get to wherever it is they needed to go. The sky started to turn a darker blue as evening came.  
"We are almost there, Master Jak!" Puar giggled.  
"Wait a sec, how come you always call him _"Master"_ Jak, but you never call me _"Master"_ Daxter?" Daxter cried out.  
"Hush!" Jak placed his index finger to his lips, "This entire place is crowded, no matter how fast we're going!"  
"Sorry." Daxter scoffed softly, "Well?"  
"Master Torn said to work for Master Jak, not Daxter." Puar answered.  
"Oh, right." Daxter sarcastically spoke, "Geez, these stupid computer thingies."  
"Puar heard that and Puar is upset!" Puar started to cry, well, cry as much as a COMP could, "Daxter is MEAN!" Then the bawling came.  
"Oh…bloody hell!" Jak once again slapped his face with his hand, "Puar, Daxter didn't mean it, he's a bit ignorant sometimes."  
"Really?" Puar sniffled.  
Jak eyed Daxter.  
"Really." Jak frowned, "Now, are we there yet?"  
"Oh, yes, just up that ramp, Master Jak." Puar answered, "And into that door!"  
And the trio moved onwards.  
"So, I wonder how energetic this old guy is to be part of the Underground?" Daxter asked, "I mean, he's this really, really OLD dude, yet he's active enough to help the Underground, I mean, seriously, how old IS that guy!"  
And this went on throughout the power station.  
"….the fact that he's old, it's just….it's just…well, something I can't believe! I bet he's older then your uncle, too! I mean, he was old, but this Vin guy sounds MUCH older…" Daxter stopped talking when they were inside.  
"Where's the Warp Gate?" The little ottsel searched.  
"Well, I may be making a guess, but I'm gonna assume it's that oval shaped wavy thing over there." Jak pointed to the oval shaped wavy thing, acknowledging what little city knowledge he possessed.  
"Yep! That's a warp gate!" Daxter snickered, "Come on, big boy. Let's get this over with." Jak came closer to the warp gate and slowly moved his hand near the wavy entrance.  
"So…we just go in it?" Jak asked.  
"That's the idea." Daxter explained, "Don't worry; it won't hurt ya or anything. Just pretend it's a warp fueled by magic."  
"But it's not fueled by magic?" Jak asked. Daxter shook his head, "Isn't that something."  
With much hesitation, Jak slowly sighed and stuck his body inside.

Upon entering, they saw themselves in a very sandy area. There were barely any grasses around and the entire Strip Mine was surrounded by heavy machineries, ranging from cranes to giant crates to housings for the workers.  
"Wow, busy place." Daxter gasped, "Wonder where Vin could be." Jak was busy looking at his surroundings, but trying to see the top views wasn't easy with the giant hills blocking his way. That was solved with logic as Jak climbed on top of one of the hills. The rocks and small cliffs made it easy for Jak to climb while Daxter struggled to hang onto his shoulder. Puar merely hovered her way up.  
Once on top, Jak placed a hand over his forehead to block out the sun's light and stared heavily around the surroundings. He eyed a small compartment.  
"There…maybe Vin's in there." Jak pointed.  
"What?" Daxter cried out, as he climbed on Jak's shoulder, "Jak, there's several different houses here, how do you know that one houses Vin?"  
"Well, Daxter, unless you're blind, the Metal Heads are grouping all over that door on that compartment." Jak sighed, explaining in a sarcastic manner. Daxter eyed the groups of Metal Heads all crowded around the door.  
"Let's roll." Jak jumped off the hill and ran down it.  
The rundown to the Metal Heads filled Jak with adrenaline, Puar with excitement, Daxter with fear.  
"Jak, are you sure we should be rushing into this so quickly?" Daxter shouted, clutching onto Jak's shoulder, "Shouldn't we devise a plan first?"  
Jak didn't bother to listen and instead whipped out the Scatter Gun and started to blast his opponents. Obviously sensing the danger, the Metal Heads retaliated with their giant claws. The ones that flew had the ability to shoot our dark orbs that could burn the furs off of an animal from afar.  
"JAK!" Daxter cried out. Jak kept fighting, however. A Metal Head came in from the right and Jak manage to shoot it before it could lunge at him. Another to the front, where Jak shot it again. A repeated process, but all the shootings he did didn't do him justice when he ran out of bullets.  
"WE'RE DOOMED!" Daxter screamed.  
More Metal Heads lunged at the trio. One nearly aimed for Jak, but Puar tackled it down.  
"Not bad for Puar!" Puar cried out triumphantly.  
"That's it." Jak gasped when he noticed what Puar did. His gun may be useless for shooting, but not for physical fighting. So, when a Metal Head grew near, he used his gun as a staff to wield them off, and then would finish them off with his physical fighting skills. A good many ran away from fright after a while, the rest fell by Jak and Puar's attacks. Daxter had his eyes covered the whole time. He opened them when he saw nothing was left. He leaped off Jak's shoulder with a huge grin.  
"Alright! We showed them!" Daxter laughed heavily.  
"Yea" Jak sarcastically came to. He then saw the door and went towards it. A big red button was located next to it. Putting two and two together, Jak pressed it and the door slowly opened.  
Jak was on one side, Daxter on the other of the door as they sneaked a peek to what was inside. They didn't get a whole lot to see yet as gun shoots came charging in their directions and a shrill voice.  
"Aaagghh! Stay back!"  
An old man was shooting at Jak and Daxter in a frantic manner, not caring where he aimed, as long as they were gone.  
"Do something, Jak! This guy's crazy!" Daxter shouted.  
"Hey, are you Vin?" Jak cried out, the gun shoots blocking out his voice, "We're here to help. Torn sent us."  
"Stay back!" The old man continued shooting, while leaping constantly in random order in the small computer room he was in.  
"Look, if we were here to kill you, you wouldn't be talking right now!" Jak shouted, his words finally calming the old man.  
"Oh, friendlies? Oh thank goodness!" The old man sighed, then he eyed the three staring back at him with mixed feelings, "We... so... whe... where's the army?"  
"Sorry, we're the only ones." Puar answered.  
"What? Just you three!" The old man, Vin, thought for a few seconds, his gun rattling over his head as he place his hand on his head in a thinking motion, "What do they think I'm worth!" Vin placed his head down on the nearest computer.  
"I'm beginning to wonder that myself!" Jak placed a hand on his chin, "If you want, you can stay here and be Metal meat, but Daxter, Puar, and I are leaving before those monsters get back." The mere mention of the Metal Heads was enough to motivate the shaky mining operative. Still holding the gun with his shaky hands, Vin's face veered left and right as he looked around his surroundings for more Metal Heads.  
"There's the Warp Gate out, Jak." Daxter pointed. Daxter ran in first with a _"yeehaw!" _Puar dived in second with a _"whee"_, then Jak. Last was Vin, who was walking backwards, face in sweats, gun pointing in all directions. He bumped into the Warp Gate as a result and let out a sounding scream.

"AHHHHHH!"

………………

Once inside the Power Station, the trio watched as Vin took his time to catch his breath.  
"Whew…that's better." Vin sighed, then he eyed the many computers inhabiting the entire station and gasped, "Oh, dear." He started to type, press buttons, pull levers, and whatever little doo-dads that he could find to do whatever he had to do. The trio just watched, waiting for Vin to say something to them. It took a while before Vin realized the trio who saved his life was still in the same room he was.  
"Oh…I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Vin gasped, "And you guys are…?"  
"I'm Jak and this is my friend, Daxter." Jak introduced, "I think you know Puar from Torn, I suppose."  
"Yep, yep, Puar remembers Master Vin!" Puar chirped happily.  
"Oh, he's also a _"master?"_ Daxter quietly mumbled, arms crossed and eyes half closed.  
"Oh, Jak, I heard about you…and Daxter, the talking ottsel." Vin smiled, "Hey, I want to thank you guys for saving my butt out there at the Strip Mine." Vin smiled nervously  
"And we'd like to thank you for being such a bad shot." Daxter came in, relived that he could talk.  
"Ah yeah, sorry about that guys. Ah, I'm just a bit jumpy these days." Vin smiled again, nervously, as he stared at the trio, hands typing on the computer. A skill he developed years ago.  
"Jumpy? We haven't noticed." Daxter grinned, then he pointed, "Aaah! A Metal Head behind you!"  
"AAH! Whatha!... Whatha!... Wha!... Whhoooo.. Oohh...!" Searching for his surroundings, Vin saw no Metal Heads. He collapsed to his behind in fear and panic.  
"Just kidding... nice reaction time though." Daxter pointed to Vin, walking pass him.  
An embarrassed Vin quickly rose up with a mad blush on his face, as well as anger.  
"Not funny!" Vin hissed, Jak laughing softly, covering his mouth with one of his hands.  
"Daxter, that's enough torture for Vin." Jak told Daxter off, still chuckling.  
"So, what's your story?" Daxter came over to Vin.  
"Yea, I heard you were the minister of science." Jak came to, "How on Precursia did you end up in a strip mine? Then again, I'm not quite sure what the bloody hell a strip mine is."  
At once, Vin raised an index finger and started talking:  
"The Strip Mine is just what it is, a mine. For many years, the people of Haven City relied heavily on the use of Eco to power their cities and supplies. While the use of blue, red, green, and yellow ecos are frequently used throughout, the Dark Eco is the most common and plentiful and is used the most to power this entire city. The Strip Mine is one of the best locations to dig up for the precious Dark Ecos for their beneficial use.  
The entire place is located in a remote area, rather, an island, so the only way in is the warp gate located in the Power Station, or a boat which most workers take. The work can be extremely difficult due to Metal Head attacks (such as the one I was involved in until you guys came), especially since they, too crave the Dark Ecos."  
"Thank you for the information, useless encyclopedia." Jak sighed, "Maybe I shouldn't have asked."  
"Well, it's a useless job in my opinion." Vin mumbled, "Granted, it keeps the Metal Heads at bay, but it's only a matter of time before the city's eco runs out."  
"I think what's more important is why there's a connection between Dark Eco and the Metal Heads." Jak suggested.  
"Those Metal Heads have been attacking our mining operations and we're running out of eco." Vin panicky repeated, "Eco power keeps the city shield walls up, and if the shield drops... well, we can all kiss our butts goodbye!"  
"The question is why." Jak came again, "What is up with the Dark Eco? Why do the Metal Heads want it? Why do they desire it so much?"  
"Dark Eco is the Metal Heads' primary source of food and energy." Vin came in, "They need to eat it…or drink it…or however they eat Dark Eco, in order to survive. From what has been said, the Metal Heads gather dark ecos not only for themselves, but for their leader, who needs enough to regain its full power. They can sense a lot of magical and supernatural forces from the dark ecos they consume, including precursors."  
"What happens when the leader regains its full power?" Jak asked again.  
"He could be powerful enough to destroy the City Walls and kill us ALL!" Vin gasped, clutching his cheeks, "No matter how powerful the city walls can hold, if the Metal Head Leader ever regains its true form, we're all doomed! DOOMED!" Then he quickly snatched Jak's arm and started to shake him.  
"You've got to keep the shield walls up until the Shadow figures out what to do." Vin cried out.  
"Just who is this Shadow guy anyway?" Daxter cried out.  
"Sorry, I can't say." Vin shakily answered, "My lips are zipped." Daxter sighed, then climbed on one of the control panels.  
"Be careful to not touch anything." Vin warned.  
"Yea, yea." Daxter waved a hand and continued his staring into one of the glowing icons on a screen.  
"Metal Heads are mainly attracted to this city the most due to our use of Dark Eco." Vin continued, "They can smell it from here, that's why they're attacking us."  
"That's all?" Jak gasped.  
"No, not really." Vin shook his head, "Rumors sprout that the Metal Heads are after an important item, an item called…the Precursor Stone."  
"….The precursor Stone?" Jak asked, puzzled.  
"Yes, old textbooks speak of precursors living in these stones until someone with special powers can awaken them." Vin answered, "They ended up in the stones during their time of extinction many millions of years ago to protect themselves and to be awaken by their descendents. From what has been told, all of the precursor eggs have been open except one."  
"So, the precursors' descendent open them all except this particular one?" Daxter asked.  
"Well, sorta. In reality, throughout the thousands of years, Metal Heads have kidnapped the Precursor's descendents and forced them to open up any of the Precursor stones they could find, and then the Metal Head Leader would suck their power and become bigger and stronger. Only very few precursors got away safety."  
"That's not good." Jak muttered.  
"You seem to know an awful lot about precursors." Daxter interrupted.  
"I did my "Econecic Energy Doctorate on Precurian Theoretical Physics." Vin smiled, "Any who, only one is left and if the Metal Heads find it, we're doomed. It's been in hiding for 500 years, hidden by Mar himself. Though where it is, no one knows. Only the direct heirs to Mar know from what I heard."  
"I see." Jak sat down on the hard, cold floor, placing his back on the control panels.  
"And the only descendent left of the Precursor is the next heir to the throne himself." Vin came to, "…The kid."_  
_"Everyone has mentioned him, but no one ever knows if he's alive or not." Jak sighed.  
"Well, he is very much alive and is the next heir to the throne." Vin continued, "And we're all risking out necks protecting him. After all, he IS our future, he IS Haven Kingdom's future."  
"Haven kingdom, this big time, GIANT Kingdom relies on a kid who's barely even developed his shoulders!" Daxter shouted.  
"That child knows more about precursors, ecos, and magic more then I do." Vin commented.  
"I…see." Daxter sighed, crossing his arms, "Where do the precursors go after they're free from their stones?"  
"I…I…don't know." Vin scratched his head.  
"What do you mean you don't know?" Daxter cried out, "I thought you were Mr. Smart pants!"  
"The Kid might know, but he's not here. I don't know where he is." Vin gulped.  
"Geez, some big time smart guy YOU are!" Daxter pointed, "I mean, I bet I would have known it in due time. All these info and we don't even get to know WHERE the precursors goes-"  
"Please, don't shout, Daxter, we might get unwanted attention."  
"Those doors are metals, they won't hear us!" Daxter and Vin continued their argument while Jak, now standing up, back facing them, pondered…deeply.  
"…JAK!" Daxter shouted, "Did you even listen to WHAT I JUST SAID?"  
"….The Promised Land." Jak mumbled.  
"What?" Daxter cringed his face, "Speak louder, I can't hear ya."  
"Which makes Puar confuzzled because you have those big ears." Puar giggled.  
"Hush it or I'll blow you a circuit or two." Daxter hissed, "Now what did you say, Jak?"  
"…The Promised Land." Jak gasped, as if he had some sort of epiphany, "That's where Precursors go. I remember."  
"Uh-huh…" Daxter cocked his head.  
"All Precursors go to the Promise Land." Jak spoke clearer, "Promised Land, The Land of Golden Hopes…Heaven…it goes my many names. We go there when we die, if we are of pure hearts and have done good."  
"So, you're saying that's where Precursors would go?" Daxter asked.  
"Yep." Jak continued, nodding, "They no longer need or wish to dwell in the this planet…the mortal world…they watch from above, creating their own society and a society where people with pure hearts dwell…soon, when this planet dies, the ones with pure hearts will enter the Promised Land…and the we will see the Ultimate Haven."  
Vin pondered for while, "That is plausible…………….Well, I best be getting back to work."  
"Aren't you worried those Metal Heads might come in the Warp Gate and get ya?" Daxter asked.  
"Ooh, those two words give me willies." Vin sighed, "They won't get me. I can lock it anytime…which I should do now." And he did so, the wavy-ness gone and nothing but a big empty circle.  
"Smart." Jak nodded. He wondered if he should leave, but then he noticed the technological gadgets and how Vin was comfortable around them…an idea sprouted in his head.  
"Vin, buddy, you're smart person." Jak spread his arms, "Maybe you could help us out here. After all, we did save your life."  
"Huh, on what?" Vin asked, eyeing Jak while his hands were on one of the keyboards.  
"We need you to switch on the access elevator in one of the Palace's support towers." Jak requested.  
"Sheesh, that's part of the old B-Zone power grid? It hasn't worked for years." Vin stated.  
"Well, if it's too hard for you, I understand. Power stuff can be tricky." Jak grinned, facing away from Vin who stared at him, furiously.  
"Tricky? Hmmmmmph…" And with that, the old, but eccentric feel, the old man started to move at a fast pace, eyeing the control station from every angle…  
"I could route the B-Zone conduit lines through the bypass grid, shunting past the eco rings to connect the inductor tubes in series, then back through the outer wall indicator helix and across the resonant flux routes into the number five capacitor array. Assuming the circuits in the GX75B can handle the surge, I could link the phase loop lines into the primary coils, and presto, you've got instant lift juice!" He zigzagged all across the station, explaining his plan before he came to a complete stop.  
Jak and Daxter stared wide eye at Vin for a good few seconds. Jak broke the shocked silence.  
"Vin, you're a genius!"  
"Eh, actually Mar was the genius. People said he made most of this stuff long ago – the shield-wall system, the eco grid. " Vin spoke with his eyes and voice in a new light of hope when he mentioned Mar's name.  
"Well, how long will it be until the power is restored?" Jak asked.  
Vin eyed the screen, mumbling ever so often.  
"Well, about…well…umm…a few months." Vin cleared his throat, ready to defend himself lest Jak blow.  
"FEW MONTHS?" Jak blew, "How come it takes THAT BLOODY long?"  
"I told ya, it hasn't been restored in years!" Vin cried out, shaking as usual, "There are many limits in the world, Jak. Be patient."  
All Jak did was groan in frustration. Things were not looking his way.  
"I'll get it on." Vin gasped, "Just give me time."  
"….Fine." Jak grumbled, arms crossed, face red and deep in frown, "We should leave."  
"Ahh, okay. Just don't tell the Baron I ever saw ya!" Vin stated, "I get enough worries from my family."  
"You have a family?" Daxter peeped.  
"Uh, yea, a wife and son." Vin stated, "Great loving people. Can't live without them."  
"I bet your son looks up to ya, two geeks in a pod." Daxter sarcastically put in.  
"He does, and he also looks up to my father as well…someone I haven't spoken to in years." Vin almost regret saying that last part.  
"Wait, wait, your father's still alive!" Daxter gasped, "He must be a millions years old!" And he was promptly smacked on the back of his head by Jak.  
"How come you never spoke with him in years?" Jak asked.  
"Too much difference, that's all." Vin nervously smiled, "My son's crazy for him…My father taught the boy how to fight."  
"I see." Jak nodded, "Well, I best skedaddle." Jak pointed towards the exit.  
"Bye-bye, Master Vin!" Puar optimistically shouted.

……………………

More missions came. All finished, ranging from returning water to the slums to infiltrating an area filled with Metal Heads and then some. Jak was getting use to his work as an Underground member. He made some nice alliances with the Slum Underground members and even traveled with them to local hangouts, other underground locations, and the likes. Jak mostly kept to himself and to make sure Daxter didn't get himself too drunk with beer. Daxter kept drinking all he could be offered while Jak showed he still had some innocence by declining all alcohol beverages. Besides, someone has to be the designated driver. And despite his continued loyal work, Jak's request for the Shadow was still shot down.  
Daxter was quite the popular figure in the Underground. Seeing a talking animal was more then fascinating to the people. Daxter would entertain them with songs and dances, and exaggerate with stories he made up mostly to impress Tess who would foolishly fall for Daxter's stories. Her sweet nature and patience got her to like Daxter as the months slowly passed by.

Spring was officially over and summer had finally come…

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 7:**_ Kilina, Day 2(Summer Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

The weather's temperature was now up a few notches, leaving people wearing nothing but shorts and light colored clothing. The trees and other plant lives showed more signs of color and green. The sun was constantly up and the swimming pools open. Fans and air conditioners were turned on in every housing. Daxter's fur has just started to shed, causing little orange piles of fur to be everywhere in the Underground headquarters. This didn't bond well with the easily annoyed Torn who kept threatening poor Daxter that if he didn't stop shedding soon, his crescent shaped knife would end up in his head. But of course, this was something Daxter couldn't stop.  
So, while in the Underground, Daxter would usually carry a bucket around with him, which was a tedious and tiring work, but he didn't want Torn all up on him again. The fact Torn has lasted this long with Daxter without killing him was a miracle among many of the undergrounds.  
The other annoyance was the lack of air conditioner. The slums were poor, so the best they could do was badly made electric fans or normal fans.  
"Can't we just steal an air conditioner or get Vin to install one or something?" one of the underground cried out.  
"Zip it!" Torn hissed.  
One often wonders how in the world Torn survived the harsh summer weather with all that full blown armor he wore. Jak, however, in keeping with the summer weather wore an indigo colored short sleeved shirt that reached to just half way up his knees (the shirt was held by a black belt). The fabric seemed to be light clothing materials. He donned matching indigo wrist length gloves and while his goggles were still occupying his head, his red bandana went missing, stuffed inside his little bag, too hot for wearing. His hair was also made into a ponytail to drive away the heat some more. His pants and shows were the same though.  
That didn't stop Jak from his constant faints which were unfortunately growing more frequently. The Underground members and Jak's friends thought it to be the heat at, but Jak didn't feel convinced.  
"I never fainted before I moved here." Jak explained.  
"Maybe it's the city's atmosphere." Tess theorized, "The country air is very clean, but the city is a lot dirtier." A lot of undergrounds made nods and agreements.  
"Smart AND beautiful." Daxter sighed, "It's a match made in heaven."  
"I can handle the atmosphere." Jak noted, "I keep myself healthy running around all day, the faints feel more…more…"  
"More what?" Torn barged in, getting close to Jak.  
"Well…" Jak struggled to find the right words while Torn glared harshly at him.  
"Well?" Torn repeated.  
"They feel…mystical." And the underground members walked away in disbelief.  
"You know, like the Precursors, maybe they're doing something to me." Jak explained, causing the members to groan some more. Jak learned that people didn't exactly trust things so fast or had high hopes, even to the higher beings. Even Jak felt like doubting himself, but he felt certain strange energies when he fainted. Not to mention he kept hearing voices of his _"other self"_ so to speak. How his other side long to be free. Jak was confused on who he truly was and would try to shake him off his head, to forget what voice was slowly haunting and taking over he's life, inch by inch. Thus, the months passed by. Summer has come…

……………………

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 7:**_ Kilina, Day 21 (Summer Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

Everyday was a study day for the poor child. The Kid, inside the Underground HQ would sit across from his mentor and protector, Kor, as he delved deep into old textbooks. Using Torn's desk as their workplace whenever Torn wasn't busy with it, Kor would teach the young child on mathematics, English, Economics, and even legends dealing with the Precursors, which the child found the most interesting. The Kid was eager to learn, after all, he may be a young child, but he knew of his role, his status, but for once, he wished to go out and play like the other slum children. The child would take breaks, but they never lasted that long. Though his advantage was an exceptionally intelligent brain for one his age, The Kid was quick to bore, wishing for more excitement on his life. For most of his life in the underground, he was locked in his room for safety, only leaving when he had to hide out in other places with his protector Kor every once in a while. It was a repeated schedule he could not break free of.

"Let's take a break, shall we?" Kor requested when he saw The Kid was slowly falling asleep. The child perked up and ran to one of the member's room where his crocadog was. It happily leaped onto the kid's  
arm who hugged the dog.  
"Don't leave this room." Kor then left. The kid, refusing to let this go on any longer, decided a small peak around the underground HQ wouldn't do anyone any harm, so he silently left with his crocadog following behind. He chose the nearest room to occupy and saw Daxter.  
He was napping, awoken by The Kid and his crocadog. He eyed them one eye open and sighed.  
"Hey, kid, keep it down, I'm napping." Daxter mumbled. Then he quickly shot up.  
"WHOA! It's you!" Daxter gasped. The crocadog ended up growling at the ottsel.  
"Hey, keep it down, mutt." Daxter groaned. The crocadog growled some more.  
"Yea, you keep growling, ugly." Daxter mumbled. That was it. The crocadog started to lunge after Daxter who coward in fear on the corner of a wall. The kid used whatever strength he possessed to keep his mutt from making Daxter its lunch.  
"JAK! HELP! Daxter shouted, "JAK, PLEASE HELP! ANYONE!"  
The crocadog slowly gained towards Daxter, inch by inch, while the kid was slowly being dragged along.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKK!"

"What's going on?" Out from the bathroom came Jak, dripping wet with a towel around his waist. He found his answer upon what he saw and quickly move Daxter away. The crocadog lost the boy's grip and started heading straight for the taller blonde boy who held Daxter, now frighten.  
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Daxter screeched. Jak didn't scream, but he closed his eyes, holding tightly onto Daxter, but no attack came. In fact, no growls, barks, nothing. It was…silent. Jak and Daxter slowly opened their eyes and saw the dog…floating in midair…not moving. Its jaws were still wide open and close to Daxter who shrieked and hid behind Jak. Jak gasped…the dog was frozen. Midair and frozen. Jak slowly cocked his head and there was the boy, eyes closed, concentrating. An aura surrounded him…he made the dog frozen…  
"T-The K-Kid?" Jak spoke, hardly able to breathe.  
"Bad Dog." The Kid spoke, in a soft, yet mystical manner.

………………

"What…was that?" Jak gasped, speaking softly, breathless. He was now fully dressed.  
"That…was magic." The kid smiled calmly. His crocadog now calm as well, panting happily as it sat next to the boy who was on the edge of one of the Underground member's bed with Jak next to them. Daxter was nearby, on top of a drawer.  
"So, the kid CAN talk." Daxter crossed his arms, "All these months, you've been living here and we never saw ya."  
"I've talked before; you guys were just never around when I did." The kid smiled, "Are you hurt, Daxter? I apologize on behalf of my crocadog. Ani was offended."  
"Offended, what did you say to the dog?" Jak eyed Daxter.  
"He called Ani "_ugly_." The kid answered, patting the dog who growled lowly at Daxter.  
"DAXTER!" Jak hissed, "Surefire way to bugger off someone with bigger fangs then yours!"  
"Alright! Alright!" Daxter cried, "I'm sorry!"  
"So, Ani is it?" Jak extended an arm to pet the dog, but it growled furiously at Jak.  
"Ani doesn't like strangers." The kid warned Jak, "Many have been bitten as a result."  
"What kind of name is Ani, anyways? Sounds girly." Daxter scoffed.  
"Actually, Ani is a genderless name. It can be for both males and females, Mr. Daxter." The kid corrected.  
"Mr. Daxter?" Daxter retorted. He thought for a second, "Well, it's not Master Daxter, but it'll do."  
Jak kept silent for a brief time.  
"What is wrong, Mr. Jak?" The kid asked.  
"…You…You have magic." Jak wheezed.  
"Yes, I do." The kid nodded.  
"This is incredible." Jak spoke again, "This must be the powers the royal family has everyone was talking about."  
"Yes, it is indeed." The kid spoke again, "Every first born, given powers from the Precursors. We are the chosen ones. A pendent we also hold, also said to have tremendous power as well."  
"Isn't that something." Jak squeaked, "That's bloody fantastic."  
"You've never seen magic before?" The kid asked, "You've acted like you've never seen the powerful forces at work."  
"No, I have…but it's been so long since I seen someone with magic…let alone someone who knows so much about the precursors." Jak answered, "Vin told me you know all about the precursors."  
"Well, I wouldn't say "all" about, Mr. Jak, but I know a lot about them." The kid giggled.  
"So, you believe in them as well, I assume." Jak asked.  
"Yes, yes, I do." The kid nodded slowly, his voice giving out a sense of mystery. Jak had an epiphany. This child knew about the precursors and seemed to possess a decent amount of magic. Maybe…he could help him.  
"So, you're important to this entire Underground, eh?" Daxter continued, "Risking our butts for some 5 year old."  
"I am 7, Mr. Daxter." The kid corrected again, "I will be 8 in a few months. How old are you both?"  
"I'm 18, Jak here is 17, but he'll be 18 soon." Daxter answered.  
"When? My birthday is during Purity Day." The kid excitedly smiled.  
"What a coincidence, my birthday is on Purity Day, too." Jak smiled a bit. Daxter ended up watching as the two chat and it amazed the ottsel on how innocent Jak looked again. He seemed to be interested in the boy and vice versa. They seemed to share a lot of the same qualities.  
"So, you're the true heir to the throne." Jak smiled, "Well, you're awfully intelligent for a child your age and you have good intentions. Yea, I think I'll work extra hard to stop the Baron and get you back on."  
"Please do not kill him, Mr. Jak." The kid gasped.  
"Wha-Why not?" Daxter popped up, "I mean, this guy is taking over what's rightfully yours! And he's doing a crappy job as well! The entire city is down the dumps because if him! I think he deserves to get the biggest wedgie alive!"  
"Oh, Mr. Daxter, I would never even dream to see him die." The kid gasped in horror, "True, the kingdom is slowly dying because of him, but I love my uncle Praxis. A person can be changed, given a second chance."  
"Okay, kid, you need to stop clinging onto false hope." Daxter sighed, "It doesn't work that way."  
"Everyone has a good heart, no matter how much bad they have done." The kid smiled, "My uncle is currently searching for his. I'm just glad the others, like Ashelin is still good. Erol, too."  
"Whoa, whoa, Erol is NOT good." Jak shook his head, a bit confused on the Kid's examination, not to mention on who Ashelin even was, "He's arrogant, bad tempered…more so then me, pigheaded, the list goes on."  
"Erol is competitive, Mr. Jak, something he can't be controlled so easily, but he is good." The kid nodded, "He works loyally to the Baron because he respects him, but he is good. Trust me."  
"Whatever." Jak sighed.  
"You do not have much faith, just revenge, do you, Mr. Jak?" The kid came up.  
"It's why I'm working for the Underground." Jak sighed.  
"What if you killed the Baron…what about the Metal Heads?" The kid asked.  
"Not my problem." Jak shook his head "After the Baron is gone; I'm going to find home. The Metal Heads are merely just diversions."  
"But Sir Torn told me you have a home in the country." The kid suspiciously retorted.  
"Uhh…I do…I just…well, I mean…crap." Jak groaned, letting out his little secret.  
"It's okay; I'll keep your secret." The kid smiled brightly, "After all, there's something special about you, Mr. Jak."  
"…What's your name, kid" Jak asked.  
"Prince Christof Aradi Del' Alazender Romanir the 3rd." The kid answered. Jak and Daxter stood frozen for a good few seconds.  
"You shall call me _"Kid."_ The kid replied, "I am constantly traveling from one hideout to the next and I am wearing slums clothing for disguise. I must be called that as it is my given fake name. My real name will target the Krimzon Guards more easier."  
"Oh, okay, yea." Jak nodded.  
"Definitely, better then Prince Cream Cheese Alligator…uhh…whatever." Daxter scratched his head, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find some other place to nap." And with that, the little ottsel left the room, leaving Jak, the kid, and Ani. For a brief moment, a silence fell, then Jak spoke in a rather embarrassed way.  
"….Hey, Kid…do you think you can help me?" Jak cleared his throat.  
"On what?" The kid asked.  
"….This might sound weird, but…I've been fainting…a lot." Jak started.  
"I'm aware; there were times when I saw you being carried into the clinic by the underground members." The kid spoke.  
"Oh…uh…okay." Jak, embarrassed, and blushing, continued, "Well, any who…see, these faints I've been having…well, I haven't told this to anyone just yet, not even Daxter…but…every time I faint…I… get a voice in my head."  
"A voice?"  
"Yes." Jak nodded, "He said he is my _"other me"_ and I'm not all that sure on who he is I have this feeling it's my…my…my…"  
"My?" The kid urged.  
"My…dark side." Jak gulped, "I've turned into him a few times."  
"Yes, I heard in the news." The kid nodded.  
"It seems to be triggered whenever I get so angry or stressed. So the rest are careful not to piss me off." Jak cleared his throat, "Any who, my main point is…why is there a voice in my head every time I faint?"  
"Is there a reason you keep fainting?" The kid asked.  
"I…I don't know. I know I faint when I feel weak." Jak tried to answer the best he can, "Then things get blurry and I black out. I also get headaches."  
"I see." The kid pondered, "I'm not too sure, but it could be the darkness in you."  
"The darkness?" Jak gasped.  
"You have Dark Eco inside you, do you not?"  
"Yea…I guess everybody knows about that by now."  
"Well, no one has truly been injected with dark eco before and lived; maybe that's what is causing your faints. Maybe it's becoming too powerful for you to handle it."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I am not completely sure. This is only a theory as of right now. I shall talk to Vin about it once I have the chance. Then perhaps we can further investigate your problems."  
"Thanks, kid, I owe you one."  
"Jak, get your ass in here!" Torn shouted from across the room.  
"Okay." Jak shouted back, "I better get going, probably another mission…and I just took a shower, too."  
"Best of luck, Mr. Jak." The kid smiled.

Jak made his way to Torn who readied him with another mission. Puar hovered around Torn, watching constantly. Jak noticed Daxter was on Torn's, his nap possibly interrupted by Torn.  
"One of my old Guard comrades was sent to the Pumping Station." The lamp on the top started to swing left and right. While Torn spoke with Jak, Daxter started to make faces per lamp swing.  
"There's been no word from her patrol, I'm afraid she may need some help." Torn sighed.  
"Did you say 'she'?"  
"Don't even think about it!" Torn growled defensively.  
"I'm not, relax!" Jak backed off, "I didn't think you'd have a girlfriend, is all."  
"…?" Torn eyed Jak, surprised and slightly blushing, "What makes you think she's my girlfriend? We're just old war buddies."  
"Well, I assume with you acting all defensive and all." Jak rolled his eyes, "I mean, I was that way with a  
girl named Kiera…though when it comes to her, we mostly been having an on/off relationship. A couple one moment, friends the next, we never can seem to decide."  
"She's a friend, end of story!" Torn growled, then he eyed Daxter who continued to make faces. He stopped the swinging light.  
"STOP THAT! THIS IS SERIOUS, YOU MORON!"  
Jak was about to smack Daxter, but the little ottsel spoke in time.  
"WHAA! That's right! Don't mess with the sugar!" Daxter grinned.  
"This 'friend' of mine has helped the Underground many times before." Torn continued, "Go to the Pumping Station and take a look around. Render assistance if needed. (Then he eyed Daxter) Now get your squirrelly ass outta here!" He didn't bother giving Jak a map for Jak once told Torn he's been to the Pumping Station before.  
Daxter pulled a raspberry, but Jak quickly took the tiny ottsel and left. Puar closely followed behind.  
"Good-Bye, Mr. Jak! Mr. Daxter! Miss Puar!" Jak heard the optimistic boy cry out, who was peeking his head out from the room he was in, waving. Jak slowly waved back, a bit more comfortable waving to the child. Kor immediately saw him outside and quickly ran over to the child.

…………………

**Pumping Station**  
**Month 7:**_ Kilina, Day 21 (Summer Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

The trip to the Pumping Station didn't take long since Jak has been there before. It was afternoon when they reached there.  
"So, where do we go from here?" Daxter asked, eyeing the entire Pumping Station as far as he could see.  
"Puar, can you give us any help?" Jak asked.  
"Puar has Torn's friend's Krimzon vehicle in my sensors, so Puar shall be guiding Master Jak!" Puar squeaked, "Follow Puar!" And they did.  
"So, what's a Krimzon Guard doing, helping the Underground?" Daxter asked.  
"I guess the same reason why Vin is still working for the Baron and the underground, to make a better city." Jak shrugged.  
The duo started walking on a metal pathway.  
"You seem to connect pretty well with that kid, Jak." Daxter started a new conversation.  
"Yea." Jak scratched the back of his head.  
"Well, you were always good with kids." Daxter cleared his throats, "I could never stand those little brats."  
"You should talk, shorty." Jak joked.  
"Oh, shut up." Daxter rolled his eyes, "Any who, Prince Cream Puff isn't annoying as most kids, I give him credit for that, and he certainly is smart."  
"No surprise, he is a prince. Although it is puzzling on why I've never seen him in the months I've spent here." Jak spoke, "The child looks like he's barely had any fun though."  
"Mm-hmm." Daxter nodded, a bit uninterested, "You seem so concerned with the kid."  
"So?"  
"Nothing, the two of ya just felt very brotherly you've been an only child all your life."  
"Well…" Jak shrugged, "He knows a lot more then I think…he's magic, Daxter…and knows a lot of the precursors, maybe he can help me with my questions. My faints. He already made a theory about it."  
"What about your faints?" Daxter asked.  
"Oh, right, you don't know." And Jak felt it best if he told Daxter who was a bit outraged that Jak never told him this before, and he was his best friend, too.  
After a while and after running in with the Metal Heads, they saw a Krimzon vehicle nearby. Daxter complained some more.  
"Ehhh, what the heck are we doing risking our lives to rescue some old Krimzon Guard hag anyway! She's probably got more facial hair than me!" Daxter started.  
"Daxter…"Jak sighed.  
"I mean, seriously, Torn hates us. We're the member's stooge, the rookie, the ones stuck with the crappy missions."  
"This mission must be important if Torn sent us to retrieve a friend, a friend he might be awfully close to." Jak thought of Torn's defensive personality seen back in the Underground HQ.  
"Yea, you just keep believing that Torn likes us and-"  
Suddenly out of nowhere, when the trio reached the Krimzon ship, a woman leaped down and gave the death grip to Jak with one arm, the other arm had a gun, locked onto Jak's cheek. A quick shock took over all four of them before anyone did anything.  
"Who the hell are you two?" she asked. She was a beautiful woman with red hair, tattoos which were standard Krimzon wear, and a Krimzon outfit, but unlike the others, this one wasn't bothered up in armor, but rather felt more casual with some armor here and there. Of course the look of Ashelin was more then enough for Daxter to lust all over her. She wore some rather skimpy outfits which mainly exposed her chest, belly, and legs. And of course, once again, without any thinking, Daxter spoke when he wasn't suppose to.  
"Mmm, I do love a woman in uniform! Wanna bark some orders at me... woof... Woof." Daxter leaped up to the girl, still gripping onto Jak who was blue in the face from lack of breath.  
"I'm your soldier on the front lines of looooove! Waiter, foxhole for two…"  
"Keep talking and I'll raise your voice by a couple of octaves." The woman stuck out her gun towards Daxter, her other arm still around Jak.  
"Whoa, take it easy there." Daxter gulped, "We're the good guys. Torn sent us." And with that, the girl eyed the little rodent and Jak, who was already blue in the face. She let him go which prompt Jak to fall on his knees, gasping for breath.  
"Sent by Torn, huh?" The woman sighed, "Didn't think I could handle my own missions. That big worrywart."  
"Mistress!" Puar popped out of nowhere, as par usual.  
"Puar." The woman spoke the COMP's name, "Yep, definitely sent by Torn."  
"Whew…" Jak sighed, getting up, rubbing his neck.  
"My bad." The woman shrugged, like she didn't care.  
"Well, now that this is all done and over with, how about you telling me a little about yourself?" Daxter grinned.  
"This thing talks?" Ashelin gestured.  
"Yes, even though he's NOT SUPPOSE to." Jak growled.  
"Don't worry; Torn warned me that I'd meet a talking furry annoyance." Ashelin said, "Well, now that this is all done with, I'm outta here."  
"Wait, you're leaving already?" Jak asked.  
"No point in me staying, I've done my mission." She turned to her vehicle, but then eyed the trio.  
"Hey, sweet stripes, gimme them digits so I can look you up sometime." Daxter stated, as Ashelin turned on her vehicle, "We'll party hard, big city style!"  
"Oh, yea…tell Torn Baron Praxis is planning something big. I think it has to do with that symbol." The woman continued, ignoring Daxter and pointing instead to the small stump holding a round orange symbol.  
"What is it?" Jak shouted while cupping his ears from the engine noise.  
"It's the Seal of the House of Mar. The founder of Haven Kingdom. We're being sent out on "suicide missions" to locate artifacts from the time of his rule." The woman answered again.  
"Why?" Jak asked again.  
"He's looking for something valuable." The woman once again answered.  
Jak pondered.  
"Well, we don't know what the Baron is really up to, but it can't be good. Tell Torn that, too and that I'll try to find more information." The woman pressed a few buttons to get her machine on a set course, and then she eyed the trio. Daxter was eyeing the woman lustfully while Jak seemed eager and a bit confused. She could see it on the blonde boy's eyes and sighed, shaking her head.  
"If curiosity's worth dying for, you can ask the blind old soothsayer in the bazaar named Onin. She might know something about all this." She groaned, knowing that eager look on Jak was enough to tell he wanted to know more, "Here's my bazaar access security pass."  
Jak tossed it and flipped it open.  
"Your name's Ashelin, huh?" Jak asked.  
"We're even now." Then she flew off, leaving the three behind.  
"Wow! What a woman! Arrggh!" Daxter grinned.  
"Ashelin…Ashelin…" Jak mumbled repeatedly.

_I'm just glad the others, like Ashelin is still good. Erol, too._

ASHELIN!  
"Oh, so that's her!" Jak gasped, remembering what the kid said about her.  
"Yea, so?" Daxter sighed.  
"Nothing." Jak cleared his throat, then he got Puar to contact Torn and told him everything that Ashelin wanted him to tell. Torn nodded and started to complain about Ashelin being _"stubborn"_ and left it at that.  
"Torn, I'm going to go somewhere for a while." Jak noted, "I'll be back as soon as I can."  
"Yea, whatever." Torn groaned, "Might be best lest I have to hear that rodent one more time."  
"Hmph!" Daxter growled.  
Puar shut off the communications.  
"Puar, show me a map to the Bazaar." Jak ordered and Puar did.  
"Come on Dax, looks like we got some work to do." And the two left.  
The Seal of Mar, the same shape as the kid's pendent: An orange circular object cut in two as if the two were in balance.  
**To Be Continued…**


	7. A Trip ta' The Farm

**Jak II  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 7: A Trip ta' the Farm**

_3 weeks and nothing…_

_My little Jak started school 3 weeks ago and still; he would sit alone in the playground while the other little children would play with their friends. H never did anything. He never spoke to them, let along tried to gain their attention. All he did was sit on that stone bench, clutching his lunch bag, while staring at either the ground or his peers. I kept going to the school often when I got note from his teacher on how he would always remain quiet. He would refuse to answer any questions she ask, let alone go to the board to write his answers. I grew concerned. Perhaps he wasn't ready for school just yet. _

_He talked very little at home, which comes to no surprise. I kept asking him, but he gave no response. I grew frustrated and decided a talk with Samos was in order._

"_Perhaps he is homesick?" I suggested.  
"The boy doesn't remember anything when he came here, you know that."  
"Then what is wrong with him?"  
"How should I know? I'm a sage, not a counselor!"  
"…………"  
"Sorry…I've been busy ever since I adopted little Kiera. She's a real pistol."  
"Yes, Kiera is a bit…rambunctious, but who can blame her for being so angry? Her parents were killed by those awful Lurkers."  
"They're not so awful over where I come from."  
"Oh?"  
"In time, she'll get better. I have faith."  
"It's Jak now that I worry, Samos. The boy has no friends. He could grow up to rebel. We cannot afford that, can we, Samos?"  
"No, not if he is the destined one."  
"…I'll see what I can do."_

_As I tucked him in bed, I asked young Jak why he refused to be with the kids. He expected that after I asked him for the umpteenth time. To his surprise, he answered. _

"_I'm different from them all…and they know it." He answered, "I've accidentally demonstrated my powers…why do the adults not fear me, but the children do? I don't wish to harm them, Uncle."  
_

"_Oh…I see. Well…children aren't as complicated as us adults, most of them, anyways. Children see the world as black and white. If something is evil, it is evil, if something is good, it is good. They don't think of anything else but that one goal and theory in their head. When they see you, they see nothing but a child who possesses such powers to scare them. That's all they see of you and will until you do something about it."  
"Do something…"  
"You cannot sit there and do nothing, Jak. You must stand up and show them who you truly are: a kind, selfless little boy with a great heart."  
"And if they do not accept me still?"  
"Then they aren't worthy of you. You're special, yes, but you're just like everyone in this village and in the end, you'll inspire us all. You inspired me and a handful of adults. It's the children who needs to believe."  
"Strong words, dear Uncle…I shall think about what you have said."  
"You sound so formal."  
"I don't know why."  
"Heh, Heh, go to bed, you little ragamuffin."_

_Back then, those words were just random things that popped up in my head. What I didn't know was how it affected Jak.  
I received word a few days after my little speech to him that Jak had saved two children's lives. They were Kiera and a boy named Daxter. I heard Jak was badly wounded and was in the Sandover clinic. I marched on in there and there he was, along with Kiera and Daxter. I said no words; I just took Jak home and placed him in bed. An arm cast, bandage around his head and a couple of wraps, but he was alive, Thank the Precursors.  
After he felt slightly better, I asked him what happen…_

"…_It all happen when I was in school…"_

**……………………**

**Farming Area**  
**Month 8:****Augosti**_, Day 4 (Summer Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_  
Sunset. The trio of heroes walked the grassy path as they have reached the Farm Area. The three was about to make their way to the Bazaar Area to seek out Onin whom was mentioned by Ashelin a few days ago. As they walked, they would also stop occasionally when they saw farmers tending to the Yakows and other live stocks. The sounds of their bellows, the clucking of the flightless birds, and the barking of dogs made Jak stop every so often. He enjoyed the pleasant farm smell the most. That was the familiar scent of Sandover. The familiar scent of the country.

"Jak, are you gonna smell the air all day?" Daxter groaned, "We gotta get moving!"  
When it comes to Daxter, his relationship with the country nearly left his thoughts and feelings. After two years in the city, he grew so used to it; he did not care if he ever saw wagons and Yakows again. He loved the city life. Jak, stuck in prison and limited on what he saw of Haven City, caused his feelings for home to dwell inside him.  
"Well, excuse me for getting all nostalgic. I just want to go home after I kick the Baron's ass." Jak sniffed,  
"Yea…I do kinda miss the pies over there." Daxter grinned, "Speaking of which, I smell pies." Jak smelled as well and gave off a short nod.  
"That smell! That intoxicating smell! It smells…just like Ms. Bakerz's cookings!" Daxter squealed, and then he scampered off.  
"DAXTER!" Jak cried out, "Where are you going? You can't just barge in!"  
"And Daxter is suppose to be quiet when Daxter is in public places!" Puar added.  
Jak and the Puar found Daxter eyeing a long table full of pies.  
"Whoa…that's a lot of pies." Daxter gasped, "…Maybe one bite couldn't hurt?" Daxter spoke as he leapt down on the table where he almost grabbed a piece.  
"HEY, GIT YOUR MITTS OFF TH' PIES!" a man cried out, shooing Daxter away, "Filthy l'il animal!" Daxter made the little Ottsel sound and climbed up Jak's shoulder.  
"That little rat's yers, l'il lad?" the man grumbled.  
"Unfortunately yes." Jak cleared his throat. The man was a bulgy figure. Wearing a plaid shirt and loose pants, he sported an equally bulgy face. Covering his face was the shaggiest beard, white in color, matching with his hair. For an old man who looked near his 40's, he still had all the hair on his head. Lastly, he donned a white cowboy hat. His accent was a southern Haven Kingdom feel.  
"Well, do me a favor and keep an eye on that der l'il critter." The man grumped. He turned his back on Jak and started to organize the pie, "Th' pie eatin' contest is gonna be a mess if all th' pies are eaten."  
"A pie eating contest." Jak was all too familiar with pie eating contests. Daxter was a champ in his village. Jak only joined once and immediately lost after scarfing down two whole pies.  
"Yep, a pie eatin' contest, ya city slicker." The cowboy continued.  
"I remember pie eating contest." Jak sighed, "My pet here is a top champ where I came from." The fat man stopped his organizing, turned around, and faced Jak.  
"You're from the country, l'il lad?" He asked, one eye closed tightly, the other strictly on Jak, his teeth clenched, his expression of slight shock and suspicious.  
"Yes." Jak nodded.  
"Only one way to find out." The fat man grinned, "HEY! Stinky Pete, git your ass in here!" And with that, a small lanky man wearing overalls with a raggedy red shirt came. His cowboy hat was too big for him and his gray beard was longer and shaggier then the fat cowboy's. He didn't have many teeth left in his body either, so he carried around fake ones he made himself out of wood in his pocket. Perfect for eating. When Stinky Pete started walking to the trio in a limp manner while speaking to himself in nonsensical gibberish, Jak started to have doubts of ever coming near a pie again.  
"Pete, sniff the young'un." The fat cowboy ordered.  
"WHAT!" Jak gasped. Before he could do anything, Stinky Pete started to sniff everywhere on Jak while Jak started to shout, telling him to not _"sniff there"._ When Pete was done, he started speaking in his nonsense language.  
"Pete says you is all from the country, except that gadget ya got there." The cowboy smiled.  
"Ummm, okay…but was all that sniffing…….necessary, really?" Jak asked, blushing from embarrassment.  
"Gotta make sure, we don't trust dem city folks at that much anymore since the Baron's rule, until then, they were merely tolerable." The cowboy spoke, "But then again, we have to still keep an open alliance wit them if we wanna live and have festivals. And ol' Stinky Pete is the best durn sniffer in this here area…can tell the difference between a city folk and a country folk, l'il lad."  
"That's…nice, but seriously, why not go back to the country?" Jak asked, "Oh, and don't call me "l'il lad."  
"Well, this was established since the beginning of the city, l'il lad which I WILL call ya cuz' you're in my territory, so don't get your knickers in a knot." The cowboy started, "Any who, this city survived this long for 300 years because of its balance. Farming is one of the many balances fer this here city. Why, we give off our crops to th' people, in return, they give us money and funding to grow more crops and even hold festivals."  
"I see." Jak nodded.  
"We need to keep this city from strayin' so damn far from them techno gadgets." The cowboy continued, "Farmin' has been our heritage for hundreds of years, we need to keep the grass green, my boy, the grass green."  
"I know." Jak nodded, well aware of his country roots.  
"Lately, the Baron's been messin' with our systems and limitin' on our festivities." The cowboy spoke with utter hatred, "Doublin' our jobs for double the crops, usin' parts of our land for the Baron's own plans…I swear, this never would have happen if the REAL heir was on that there throne. I've seen the young'un…much l'il then ya. Cute as a button, but smart as a scientist."  
"You've met Prince Christof before?" Puar asked, "Hmm…I think I remember you."  
"Yes, ma'am, I have. When you're the head of the Farm district, someone's gotta go in and meet th' King, after all, he controls our very Kingdom, including this here farm land. I swear, when the Baron took over, I felt sadden when I heard news dat th' Prince was missin' and even possibly dead! Sure hope he's okay."  
"Have faith." Jak shrugged.  
"Heh, dat's what the Prince would always say." The cowboy smiled, "Say there, what's your name, l'il lad?"  
"Jak. This is my…uh…"pet", Daxter, and personal COMP, Puar." Jak introduced, slightly irritated on him being called _"l'il lad"_ continuously.  
"I'm Avery Huwan." The cowboy shook Jak's hand roughly, then let go, "This here is Stinky Pete, mah business partner."  
"Business…partner?" Jak cleared his throat.  
"MMmm mmmmmm mmmm graaaaaaaaaa mmmaaaaggg." He sounded like he strangled a cat and ate it.  
"He said _"it's a real pleasure to meet ya'll."_ Avery translated.  
"Hello." Jak sheepishly waved, "How…smashing."  
"How are you handlin' the city?" Avery asked, "And do you have a last name or you just plain Jak?"  
"It's fine, though I want to go back to the country soon." Jak answered, "And it's just…Jak."  
"I thought it was Jak Bannon, Master Jak." Puar corrected…sort of.  
"It IS BLOODY WELL NOT." Jak corrected through clenched teeth, angry at what Krew wrote down for his last name on their contract. Avery made a small smile and followed up on Jak's comment to return back to the country.  
"Don't we all?" Avery smiled, "Our ancestors used to live in dat there villages outside of the city, where the Metal Heads can easily get to them. We ain't got much protection compare to the city."  
"I can understand the Baron not doing anything about it, but I'm sure the late King would have done something." Jak responded.  
"He would have, l'il lad, if not for that fact that we country folks are stubborn as dem Yakows." Avery laughed, "We think we can handle it on our own. Although the Kings can be stubborn, especially considerin' the outside villages and towns are part of th' Kingdom."  
"If that keeps up, the Metal Heads will get to them." Jak sighed.  
"I know…I know…I have family there as well, back in the Sunny Village where I was born." Avery sighed, "Had to learn to fight ever since I was a young'un. Always carryin' a long pistol, practiced till' my aim was sharper then cactus needle. Any who, enough about me, what part of the village are yer from?"  
"Oh, I come from a village called Sandover." Jak answered, "Maybe you've heard of it?" Avery pondered for a second, but stopped.  
"Nope, can't say I have." Avery shrugged. Jak felt disappointed.  
"So…pie eating contest." Jak, changing the depressing subject to something lighthearted spoke.  
"Yep, got a festival comin' tomorrow…the ones NOT cancelled by that damn Baron." Avery stated, "Yer welcome to join, if you wish."  
"I suppose." Jak sighed, "If not to relieve my feeling of nostalgia."  
"Won't Master Torn get mad?" Puar asked.  
"Well…uhh…" Jak started, trying desperately to finish his answer. He was interrupted once again when a few Krimzon Guards came their way. Jak gasped and quickly placed the red scarf over his mouth and nose and hid behind Avery to further help his disguise.

"What can I do fer ya, gentlemen?" Avery asked the guards, keeping a rather suspicious face on. Stinky Pete was besides him, talking his nonsensical speech as usual.  
"By order of the Baron, we've been asked to tell you to cut off the festival for tomorrow." The leader of the small Krimzon Guard group spoke, "Instead, the money you made on tickets and funds are to be promptly delivered to the Baron's headquarter for his special project, post haste!" Then the other guards came with boxes for the money.  
"Ya gotta be kiddin' me!" Avery cried out, "Ya can't do this to us! We spent a very long time gettin' this here money and now you want it? And the festival…ya can't cancel the festival! We spent a long time plannin' this!" His shouts formed a small crowd.  
"Orders from the Baron, now fork it over!" The leader Krimzon Guard cried out.  
"YA CAN'T DO THIS! The money will probably be wasted on them FAT CATS in the Mall Area, whom, by th' way, don't deserve no money cuz' they're already stinkin' rich!" Stinky Pete grumbled harshly.  
"No, Stinky Pete, I wasn't makin' fun of yer name." Avery sighed, "Honestly, I keep tellin' ya that!"  
"Look, I got strict orders from the Baron for his secret project. You either hand over the money or get arrested!" The leader Guard grabbed Avery's shirt and seem rather to pummel him.  
"STOP THAT!" Jak cried out, the scarf still on his face. He shoved the guard away from Avery, "Stop that and get your armored ass outta here or you're in for a world of hurt!"  
"Who the bloody hell are you!" The leader spoke.  
"I'm your worst nightmare!" Jak shouted, "It's greedy people like you who make honest people like them live in a life of chaos and disorder and that's my opinion which more then compensate for that corny line I just said 3 seconds ago!"  
"Look, just back away and I won't have to hurt you!" The Krimzon Guard cried out, "This don't concern you."  
"No." Jak stood his ground.  
"L'il Lad, I can handle it." Avery whispered.  
"I'll be fine!" Jak growled.  
"Jak, you're getting a bit angry, calm yourself…NOW!" Daxter hissed quietly. Unfortunately, Jak did not hear Daxter's words. His anger level was boiling up as he and the Guard started to argue.  
"Back away!"  
"I won't!"  
"I will hurt you if this keeps up!"  
"For arguing? I'm not doing anything other then shouting in your face!"  
"If you're abusing an officer, I have the right to hit!"  
"Then go ahead and HIT ME! You'll miss and before you know it, I'll break off your bleedin' arm!"  
"STOP THE THREATENING!"  
"NO!"  
The Guard has had enough, he punched Jak in the face who was knocked down, but not out.  
"Little Bastard!" The Krimzon Guard spat. Jak then ran after and tackled the guard. Soon, a fight between the two broke out. Shouts from both the residences of the Farm area and the Krimzon Guards came as they formed a crowd around Jak and the leader guard. The two gave a few punches and a kick while insults flew.  
"BASTARD!"  
"SHITBAG!"  
"BLOODY ASSHOLE!"  
"Go to HELL!"  
"YOU GO TO HELL!"  
"I outta smack you for that!"  
The guard had the more slight advantage as his armor was protecting him, but in the end, he was bleeding on the non armored parts. Jak had more injuries. A black eye, bloody nose and mouth, and some parts of his shirt ripped. The fight went on.  
The other guards had enough of this and finally managed to all piled onto Jak who struggled to get out.  
"Okay, come on, we better take you to headquarters and do something about you." One of the guards cried out. The leader got up and shook himself off, his comrades helping him up. The farmers only just watched helplessly. What could they do?  
"HEY! Let the l'il lad go!" Avery shouted, "Take me instead, he ain't done nuthin'!" The guards ignored him and continued to hold Jak still. Stinky Pete mumbled to Avery.  
"Well, yea, he did fight…hoo boy." Avery gulped, "But still…"  
"Where's the tranquilizer gun?" one of the guards shouted.  
"I don't know!"  
Jak struggled with all his might, he wanted to be free. He didn't wanted to go back.  
"I HATE YOU ALL! I HATE THE BARON! I HATE THIS CITY! I HATE EVERYTHING!" Then he let loose…

**…………………**

It came back….the sudden darkness. Before anything can happen, a split second before anything can happen…Jak was now pale once more. Horns came from his head, his eyes were entirely black.  
"Oh-No!" Daxter gasped, "It's happening again!"  
The entire people all gasped in horror at Jak's transformation. After a split second of transforming into his darker self, he launched his arms up in the air and sent the Guards flying.  
"BACK-UP! I NEED BACK-UP!" The leader guard cried out. Jak cut him off and started to pummel him. His long claws were enough to shred the armor off of the guard and he struggled, screaming in pain as Jak attacked him. He was gonna die, he just knew it. Jak was clawing him like an animal. Was he going to eat him? Just kill him and promptly head for the others? Anything was possible. There are no laws and rules for raged animals.  
The leader guard was saved when more Krimzon Guards, including the Krimzon Health Guards (armored in green then red) were around. They took out the injured while Jak continued his fight with the other guards. He slashed and ran towards the next victim who was near him. Electricity came off his body, giving him raw power he never had before. Dark magic poured from his vein and he started to kill faster and stronger when he started to shoot out energy balls of sorts. Eventually, the guards refused any back-up calls, for sacrificing many guards for a fight they couldn't win was an awfully bad decision. So, the survivors ran, while the Health Guards took the wounded…and the dead. Jak…he was full of power unlike anything he has ever felt. Why? He could use this power for his own good.

_Ahhh, just think about it. All those times, you could get revenge. People have doubted the special powers you have, little Jak. He could pray on them and destroy them all. Decapitate them, if you must, you can eat them. It doesn't make you a cannibal...it makes you a demon…doesn't it feel grand whenever you have power in your side, where nothing can stop you?_

But wait! Why was Jak thinking these thoughts? Someone talking to him, perhaps? NO! He is not evil…is he?  
The power of the Dark Eco left his body and Jak returned to normal.  
"MASTER JAK!" Puar cried out. Daxter shrieked his ottsel shriek.  
Jak, bleeding and hair and cloth tattered, he slowly started to fall. The residence of the Farm area watched the young blonde haired boy, with shock and mixed expression. Daxter and Puar (her lens cap grew yellow from shock) shared the same as well. Jak muttered something and fell unconscious.

**…………………**

"_OOOOOh, that was FUN!"  
"Wha-"  
"Killing nearly all of them…how delightful!"  
"No…NO! I let the…darkness take over me again, didn't I?"  
"Yep! Yep!"  
"NO!"  
"You killed a lot of guards, you demon, you."  
"Shut up…"  
"HA! For a minute there, you were happy with your powers. You LOVED the darkness. It caressed you and warmed you. You felt safe in it! You never wanted to leave. You wanted to use that for your revenge…revenge…you've craved such a power. Admit it, you LOVED it!"  
"NO! You made me think that! YOU MADE ME! You're the one who loves it! NOT ME!"  
"Don't you want this power? Force is the only way for them to understand. Those narrow minded fools. Relinquish yourself to the Dark and you can become the Dark forever."  
"NO, I won't! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"  
"Silly fool, you still don't understand…do you not realize the potential in you? As a child, those kids didn't understand you. You were pure back then, but even if you were innocent, you wanted to hurt them, used force to destroy them. Why not now?"  
"The kids understood me later. It just shows that patience can lead to good things."  
"HA! You haven't been patient since you got out of jail! You hypocritical little bastard! Still just a naïve fool. You're strong….but weak. You get weaker every time we speak, every time you feel darkness…and one of these days, when the time comes…I will take you under my wings and raise you into the power of darkness…I know all your weaknesses, your strengths…your fear…hobbies…after all, I AM you…"_

**………………………**

"He's waking up!" A woman, near the same age as Avery shouted.  
Jak observed his surroundings. He was in a rather cramped room, but a simple room, nonetheless. The walls were tan and covered with cute paintings of super deformed farmers. There was a shelf full of children's picture books, and a window nearby.  
"Well, ya feelin' better, l'il lad?" Avery asked.  
"Where am I?" Jak mumbled.  
"Mah house, of course." Avery grinned, then the old woman came, "Oh, this here is mah wife, Mimi."  
"Hello." Mimi slightly waved. Jak slowly wave back slowly, still lying on the bed, unable to quite grasp his surroundings. Daxter and Puar were on a hard chair next to the bed. Jak noticed he had an ace bandage around his forehead and a couple of bandages on his face and arms. His chest was also bandaged which brought Jak's attention. He was shirtless. Mimi noticed that and went to another room and back with his shirt.  
"Here I sewed it back for you." She said, "It had a lot of holes." Jak slowly took it, rose up, and struggled to put it on. Mimi quickly helped Jak put his shirt on with Avery criticizing on her "babying him."  
"I can't help it; it's a mother's feeling." Mimi shook her head. Jak made a small gesture of thanks and just sat on the bed, looking extremely disappointed in himself.  
"That was some power ya showed there, l'il lad." Avery smiled, "Ain't never seen anythin' like that!"  
"You're…not afraid?" Jak gasped. Avery shook his head.  
"As long as you're on our side, dat's fine wit me."  
"I see--what about the festival?" Jak asked, changing the subject. Avery hung his head low.  
"After you did what you did, the Guards came in and took our money and cancelled our festival anyway." Avery sighed, "They also asked where you were. It took a while, but we convinced them that you ran off. We manage to hide ya before they got reinforcements ta' collect the money."  
"Oh, well…thanks." Jak spoke in a quiet voice.  
"Mr. Avery cannot make new festival?" Puar asked.  
Avery groaned, "What's the point? They'd cancel that one, too. One of the Baron's favorite things to do is to make others suffer for his amusement. He cancels our festivals and yet we STILL do our end by supplying him with crops. At this rate, all our money will be gone and we won't be able to grow more crops."  
"You should rebel." Jak sighed, "It may be small, but the little things can make all the difference. I'm one man, but I toppled those bloody soldiers like dominos."  
"I could, but I ain't no violent man by nature." Avery spoke, "I only hurt when I need to defense myself, l'il lad."  
"Then I'll fight for you." Jak stood up (in which he slowly clutched his chest from pain), "Anything to hurt the Baron!"  
"Jak, please, I don't want no more trouble, ya hear?" Avery could see the determination on the boy, but he only responded back with a soft, sad voice, "I don't want ta' see ya hurt…don't want ya ta' to end up like him."  
"End up like who?" Jak asked.  
"Our son." Mimi sat on the edge of the bed, "He died tryin' to save this area, doing his best to stop the Baron, and got killed as a result, this is his room your in."  
"Oh…" Jak cleared his throat.  
"Ya can spend th' night here." Avery sighed.  
"Are you sure?" Jak asked, "I don't want any of you feeling uncomfortable or bothersome because of me."  
"We don't mind." Mimi softly spoke, "We don't mind at all."  
Jak cleared his throat, "Alright…thanks and all. I'll be out of here by tomorrow. I have a mission to fulfill anyways."

**………………**

Jak rested afterwards and far into morning where Mimi had made Jak breakfast and some pies from the now cancelled festival. Daxter was an eating machine with the pies.  
"I told ya he was the champ." Jak grinned.  
"So, where are ya'll headin'?" Avery asked. Stinky Pete was next to him, eating his pancakes like caveman. No forks were required for him. His hands and teeth were his utensils. While Daxter did the same (being an animal and all), he was less messy. Jak, however, fiddled with his pancake until Stinky Pete was finished, having near lost his appetite. Stinky Pete left after he ate, his beard now full of pancake pieces.  
"Pete, wipe yerself off!" Mimi shouted. Pete grabbed a random napkin and wiped his beard with one full swipe, which caused it to look worse then before. Then he mutterer something before he walked out of the house to greet the morning.  
"Does…he…live with you?" Jak gulped.  
"Nah, he has his own home and his wife, l'il Betty." Avery smiled, "We call her l'il cuz' she's younger then us at about 15 years or so."  
"….Oh." Jak gulped.  
"Yep, the two had kids together, all grown up and livin' their own lives." Avery smiled.  
"Well, at least I know Stinky's wife sure got some excitement outta HIM!" Daxter commented to Jak's ear so Avery wouldn't hear. Jak nearly choked on his pancake.  
"So, where ya headin'?" Avery asked again.  
"To the bazaar, seeing someone named Onin." Jak answered, "Need to get some info."  
"I see." Avery pondered, "Ya got a way to travel there, l'il lad?"  
"No." Jak shook his head, "I was planning to walk there."  
"Or steal a vehicle." Daxter mumbled which Jak has done a few times before. Jak told him to hush.  
"Well, come on out then." And Avery left his chair and went outside. Jak shrugged, then followed.

Outside, Avery led the three to a fence where horse-like animals (the main difference are the small wing-like arcs sticking out of their hips, back, and a beak-like mouth, among other little oddities) walked and grazed.  
"Whoa." Daxter gasped.  
"Mustallions!" Jak gasped.  
"Yip!" Avery smiled, "Here, ya can ride one. Mustallions are allowed in the Bazaar section. Quite popular rides der." Avery took out a pure white one, medium in height compare to the others, but still taller then Jak, "This one is still a young'un, but she's a fast one. Mah wife raised her. Mah wife is one of the best Mustallion trainers and breeders ever. This one here is called BellFlower."  
"Oh, wow, we're going to ride a mustallion named BellFlower, how very manly of us." Daxter sarcastically mumbled.  
"She's beautiful." Jak grinned; though even the name _"BellFlower"_ made Jak cringe a little.  
"Ya can ride her anywhere, especially if yer headin' to the Haven Forest in the near future." Avery suggested, "Mustallions love that place because that's where their origin lied."  
"Oh…Haven Forest, eh?" Jak pondered.  
"It's that gate o'er there." Avery pointed, "Come back anytime, ya hear, and take care of BellFlower, like our son once did."  
"Thanks." Jak nodded, as he got up on BellFlower, already quipped with a saddle.  
"Ya know how ta' ride one, right?" Avery asked.  
"Yep, no worries." Jak winked, then he made some _"click click"_ noises with his mouth and BellFlower ran off, Jak shouting a "WAHOO" as the three moved on.  
"Oh, did he leave already?" Mimi came out, "Ah was about to give him some of mah pies."  
"Nah, he'll be back real soon, Ah can feel it in mah blood." Avery smiled.

**………………**

**Farming Area**  
**Month 8:****Augosti**_, Day 5 (Summer Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_  
"How much further until we get to the Bazaar?" Daxter complained, his head down, starring at the lifeless road, littered with gum, dirt, and other forms of trash littered alongside people's feet, constantly moving.  
"Well, according to Puar, we're here." Jak answered, staring at the main entrance to the Bazaar. An area with white walls twisting and turning like a maze. Several neon signs graced the top, and market places selling fruits, fishes, and vegetables were plenty. The people in here didn't seem to possess as much technology as the people of Haven City, like those in the Farm Area, preferring their own methods.  
"Oh, that's…some place." Daxter moaned.  
"It's a place, what more do we need to know?" Jak asked, "Come on, let's go find Onin." The trio moved on, BellFlower's hooves clipping and clopping.  
"Well, the plus side is the food, there seems to be a whole hell lot of them here!" Daxter grinned, "Do we have any money to buy some?"  
"We had breakfast a couple of hours ago." Jak sighed. Daxter, putting on his innocent face, gave a stare at Jak.  
"Maybe after we find Onin, I'll buy something, happy?" Jak spoke, annoyed.  
"Well, there certainly are a lot of paths…" Daxter sighed.  
"The bazaar is a lot bigger then people realize and there are multiple paths to take." Puar commented, "It's just like a maze! Tee Hee."  
"Oh, goodie." Jak mumbled.  
"Yea, lots of people trade and have businesses here." Puar commented, "Businesses that doesn't involve anything technological, simpler really. If you want modern businesses, it's best to head back to the Mall Area."  
"Oh, look a tent, that's something I didn't see in here." Daxter pointed, "and it's got a giant skull and cross on the front…how inviting."  
"This is the entrance to Mistress Onin's tent." Puar explained, then she switch to a creepy voice, "Enter and get your fortune told. You'll never know what your future lie! OOOOOOH!"  
"Cut that out!" Daxter snapped, "You sound like a retarded floating advertisement." And with that, Puar nearly gave way to her emotional.  
"He's joking, don't cry again." Jak quickly moved on, "I got enough headaches as it is." Daxter and Puar watched as Jak gave a small sigh.  
"Look, let's go in and see how Onin can help us, okay?" Jak asked, "Who knows? Maybe she can help me with my problems with my dark side as well." Jak leaped off of BellFlower and went inside.

Inside, the entire placed was cramped with items no one normal would stock in their home. Glowing totem statues, a cage of flying insects, and a mirror of some sort that looked as though it was hypnotizing to look at. On the minus side, the entire ground was crawling with bugs. It didn't bother Jak much. They were just little bugs and none of them looked poisonous. It felt like being in a small shop selling mystical and magical items. Jak and Daxter observed their surroundings with Puar merely hovering above them. Daxter, during his observations of the place, noticed an animal hanging, eyes closed, wings limp. It was a colorful bird with the tail and face of a monkey.  
"Coooool! Check out the dead stuff!" Daxter poked the animal, which promptly beat his finger.  
"OW!" While Daxter mended his finger, the animal spoke.  
"Touch the goods again, rat boy, and you'll be, arrrk, counting with your toes!" The hanging animal cried out, speaking in a unique accent not commonly seen in Haven Kingdom. It flew from it's position, looped in a circle, and flew to an old woman who moved, waving her arms in a serene manner. Jak had sworn she was a statue. She was exceptionally still when she had to be. The bird/monkey flew on top of her bowl-shaped hat.  
"I am Pecker!" the animal introduced, spreading his wings out in a dramatic fashion. **  
**And Jak and Daxter giggled at his name."**  
**"Yes, yes, I know, my mother, she was... very vindictive." Pecker cleared his throat, twiddling his wings, "I am Onin's interpreter."**  
**Onin made her response by clapping her hands until blue magic dust sprinkled out from her. Jak and Daxter eyed each other. So, Onin couldn't talk. **  
**"Onin welcomes you, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... the usual boring salutations. She says it is good to see you again, Jak." Puar giggled.**  
**"Huh? But we've never met before." Jak scratched his head, then crossing his arms, raising suspicion.**  
**"Before... after... it is all the same." Pecker shrugged.**  
**"Umm…okay." Jak shrugged. Pecker was about to continue interpreting until Daxter blabbed in. He could talk freely, after all, Pecker heard him speak, there's no point in hiding. **  
**"Oh! Oh! Let me try! Aaah... she wants a... She wants a yakow bone! A yakow bladder! No... no... I got it! For many moons... she has... waited for... a juice pop? A jewel shop? Oh... oh... I know, she's got a hairball! A hair lip? A hairy chest?" Daxter's failed attempt to interpret. Pecker flew close to the three figures near the entrance.**  
**"Close... but NO!" Pecker spoke harshly, "Onin says you seek answers... arrrkkk, about the Tomb of Mar."  
"Tomb of Mar…" Jak repeated, unsure of what that was, yet strangely familiar, "Umm...yea, I suppose. What do we need to know?"**  
**"She's going on and on about mystical energy channels, evil curses, stupid 'ooooooo' crap." Pecker sighed, "Forget all that, I'm gonna sum this up quickly, because now you're cutting into my siesta time. Onin wants you to recover three artifacts from the Precursor Mountain Temple. Not two! Not four! THREE! Use the Warp Gate at the northwest side of the city, and bring back the three items you find. The three can be found in Haven Forest."**  
**"Okay, but what does the three items look like?" Jak asked.**  
**Pecker once again flew to Onin. There, Onin displayed the items magically like a hologram for the three to see.**  
**"A crystal…a gear…and a glass len cap." Pecker answered, "Now get moving!" Pecker made a mystical position, wrapping himself with his wings and closed his eyes. After a few seconds of waiting, Pecker urged the three to leave and they did.

**  
**"… I didn't even get a chance to ask about my problem." Jak muttered as they rode the way out from the Bazaar.**  
**"In time, Master Jak." Puar spoke, hoping to cheer up the young blonde.**  
**"How does a glass len, a gear, and a crystal connect to the mysterious Precursor stuff…if at ALL?" Daxter shouted.**  
**"Would be please talk softer." Jak groaned, "By the Precursors, it's not hard to shut up once in a while or at least lower your volume down. As for your question, I don't know how they're connected. I guess we better find them and see for ourselves."**  
**"Yea, yea." Daxter sat on Jak's shoulders, arms crossed, "Hey, you promised you'd buy some food here."**  
**Jak let out a sigh of annoyance. Of course, he did end up buying them anyways. Only way for Daxter to shut up as to not raise any suspicious.

**…………………**

"So, Haven Forest." Jak pondered, "Avery mentioned it before. He even pointed to the gateway to get there."  
"Ya think a trip to Avery is in order?" Daxter asked.  
"I bet." Jak nodded. BellFlower neighed.  
"What?" Jak asked.  
"She said she likes the sound of going to Haven Forest." Daxter answered. Jak stopped BellFlower and stared at Daxter.  
"Since when do you speak Mustallions?" Jak gasped.  
"Oh, something I discovered during my stay in the city…I can talk with animals." Daxter grinned, "I think it's because I AM an animal. It's a pretty recent discovery. I think it's a pretty cool trick, don't ya think?"  
"Oh, Puar thinks' it's the bee's knees!" Puar giggled.  
"You learn something new from a friend everyday." Jak gave his "_Damn, I can't believe I didn't see that before"_ look, "Sounds like you've done a lot in the city besides entertaining."  
"Yea, have I ever told you about me joining as a bug exterminator?"  
"A bug…exterminator?"  
"Yea, funny story. It started when…"

The three (four, counting BellFlower) made their way back to the Farm area where Avery once again greeted them. Same with Mimi and Stinky Pete.  
"So, headin' to the forest, eh?" Avery repeated what Jak told him, "Guess we better git the gate open then." Avery, alone with Jak, Daxter, Puar, and BellFlower moved to the gateway to the forest.  
"Hey, Bane, open th' gate!" Avery shouted. Bane, a rather buff cowboy got off from his chair and pulled a lever, getting the door to open.  
"Well, have fun." Avery smiled. BellFlower neighed as Jak and the others started to leave. She walked closer to Jak and nuzzled her face towards Jak's.  
"What?" Jak groaned, slightly annoyed.  
"Ah think she wants to go with ya." Avery answered. Jak stared at Daxter who nodded in agreement.  
"Right." Jak mumbled, getting on top of BellFlower again.  
Avery watched as the four left.  
"He's good with animals, ey?" Avery nodded. Stinky Pete answered in his usual way.  
"Yea, yea, you're good with dem, too." Avery sighed, "Ya just have a problem with dem animals and der droppings…ya DON'T sniff 'em cuz' they ain't food!" Stinky Pete nodded in shame…  
**To Be Continued…**

**……………**

**Author's Note: **Avery's accent is Southern Haven, and while he is a cowboy, his accent is more Scottish then anything. His wife sounds more German in accent.


	8. Haven Forest

**Jak II  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 8: Haven Forest**

_I went to school as I normally did, sat alone as I normally did, and got beaten up by Kiera as I normally did. I was beginning to wonder if I should have just run away. I thought about it constantly, but I would always stay because of your support, your words to guide me. It all changed…just this afternoon._

_I sat down on the stone bench as I always do during recess. All I ever did was watch the children play and stare at my lunch bag which I barely touch anymore. I always sighed sadly whenever I see the others having fun without me. My heart was in pain. It was like this everyday, but today was different. You see, I expected to be beaten up again from Kiera and her little gang of girls. They were all tough and they spent all day, picking on people. Whenever teachers appear, they would act all innocent and pretend they didn't do anything…Kiera was good at lying. People believed her. Many a good of my lunch was taken from her…as well as a piece of my life. Today, she didn't beat me up. I was confused and a bit relieved. Perhaps she was planning a surprise attack? I just sat and waited…waited for something to appear, but nothing. My thoughts were interrupted when I saw a crowd of kids in the corner of recess. I left the bench to take a look…and there, I saw Kiera. She was beating someone else up…a boy who was about the same size and age as me. I knew him…_

_Daxter._

_He's in my class. He wasn't silent and sulky like me. He was loud and full of pride. He wasn't exactly the most popular of the entire school, but everyone knew him enough. It's all because of his loudmouth. He was the class clown, the prank master, the King of comedy. He pulled pranks on the teachers and principals and rarely was he ever caught. He makes people laugh with his jokes. How that never guaranteed true popularity had me in questions. I guess it's because of his "geeky" side so to speak. He was never "cool" in anyone's eyes, generally. All he was good for was to laugh at, whether he tells a joke or pulls one to something he did that wasn't meant to be laugh. He was funny, but he was a joke to them. How ironic. The sad part is…he didn't know that. He assumed he was popular and that he was loved by all. I pitied him at first, but people noticed him. All I did was stay quiet…I didn't get attention like Daxter did and he was just as unpopular as me. I was slightly jealous. But I wonder…is there more to him then meets the eye? I got my answer when I saw being beaten by Kiera. _

_She punched him; she pulled his hair and scratched his face. After Daxter was bruised in all corners of his body, Kiera kicked him in the stomach several times. No on bother to dive in to save him. No one. Everyone was afraid of Kiera. Daxter…he was not laughing or making jokes. He had his eyes clutched shut, tears flowing down his face. Painful…I felt the same thing. Why did Kiera hurt Daxter?_

"_NEVER…EVER…make a joke about ME!" She shouted, her face red.  
"I said I'm sorry!" Daxter cried, wishing for the pain to stop.  
"NOT enough!" And she promptly kicked him some more. _

_I was jealous of him…but I could not let this happen…I slowly step in the crowd and went into between Kiera and Daxter. _

"_Oh, it's you." Kiera was unfazed by me, "Get outta the way or you're next, Shrimp!" I was slightly smaller then Kiera. I slowly stared at her, my face…calm.  
"He has suffered enough, Kiera, leave him be." I told her softly.  
"WHAT?" Kiera gasped, "I don't know what "suffered" means, but if you don't leave, I'll beat you up!" She was tall for 8, but most girls grow taller then boys at this age.  
_

"_Then go ahead…I already felt the fury of your fists…"  
"GRRRR, YOU STUPID IDIOT!"_

_Everyone backed away._

"_I HATE YOU!" And she lunged at me and beat me up…I didn't struggle. I never did. _

_Recess was over and there, lying on the ground was me. I was next to Daxter, who still had his eyes closed, crying. I was used to the pain, so I got up and checked up on Daxter._

"_Are you okay?" I asked.  
"Am I alive or dead?" he sniffed slowly.  
"You're fine, but you need a nurse." and I helped him up and took him there. Daxter was fine, he managed to walk, that was good, and he refused to be picked up by his parents. He saw me as I was walking home. Both of us were covered with small bandages._

"_YO!" he cried. I stopped.  
"Hey…umm…thanks…for ya know…"  
"It's my pleasure." I interrupted.  
"…..You're Jak, right? Nephew to that science guy, right?" I nodded.  
"Thought so…well, I'm Daxter."  
"Yes, I know." I nodded. He shook my hand.  
"So, Jak…you wanna be friends?" I stood silent for a moment. Did he just say…he wanted to be friends with me? No one asked me that before. I just stood silent for a moment, clutching onto my books.  
"Hey, Hellooooo!" Daxter cried out, "Where did you run off to?"  
"Oh…I'm…uhh…are you sure…you wish to be friends with me?" I asked, "Haven't you heard of the stories behind me? The ones the kids talk about how strange I am?"  
"Not that I'm aware of." Daxter scratched his head, "Look, I don't really care who you are. You just be yourself. I admit, I try to gain attention with my jokes, but I'm still being myself. It's important to be myself. That's what mom taught me."_

_I smiled. I misjudged him. He had much better judgment then I thought._

"_Wanna be my friend now?" He asked. And I nodded.  
"Good, now come on." Daxter urged.  
"Why? Where are we going?" I asked. He stared at me with an evil grin…  
"Revenge." He chuckled…_

**………………………**

**Haven Forest**  
**Month 8:****Augosti**_, Day 6 (Summer Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)  
_"Ahhh, smell that nature!" Daxter sighed, spreading his arms and taking a deep breath of air.  
"Since when did you appreciate nature?" Jak asked, eyeing his furry friend, who was once again, on his shoulder.  
"I don't know." Daxter shrugged, "Ever since I've been an ottsel, I've like nature more…though I also like the city a whole lot as well."  
"Well, I heard animals know how to connect with natures better then anyone else." Puar commented her piece.  
BellFlower neighed, signaling that she wanted to move. Jak sighed and the foursome continued their journey.  
"A gear…a crystal…and a glass lens cap." Jak pondered, "This forest is huge, it's gonna take a hell of a long time to find them all."  
"Maybe we should split up?" Daxter shrugged, randomly thinking of an idea he knew wouldn't work.  
"No, we'll get lost. We don't know the way…unless you do, Puar?" Jak asked.  
"I think I have a map of Haven Forest." Puar was silent for a few seconds with only the small sounds of _"tech tech"_ coming from her. Jak and Daxter watched eagerly while BellFlower eyed the grass.  
"GOT IT!" Puar shouted, "Here it is! The Map of Haven Forest…well, one of them."  
"One of them?" Jak gasped.  
"Yep!" Puar nodded, "This forest is huge, that's why. More will be reveal as we walk, Master Jak, as I can record in the scale and distance of the forest."  
"Does it show where the three items are?" Daxter asked.  
"Nope, sorry." Puar felt a tad bit guilty.  
"We'll have to find them ourselves." Jak suggested, "Onin showed us what it looks like, so let's go from there." And while riding on BellFlower, the team continued…

And through perils and gaps did our heroes crossed the brave rocks and greens of haven Forest. Through paths of thick forestry, up the tall mountains, swinging from vines to treetops, braving over a river on stepping stones, our heroes did possess courageous aim towards their goal for the three main objects. And as they pass, they would grow stronger, wiser, happier, thrilled, excited, and more adventurous---  
"Jak, I'm tired, I can't go on!" Daxter groaned, dragging his padded paws as they hiked up a rugged mountain.  
Puar, being a floating COMP had no problems. Bell Flower was left down since she couldn't climb rugged mountains. They would get her later. Even Jak, who constantly kept in shape during his long stay in prison, had difficultly breathing as he walked, a long stick as his main support. The two were not in good condition. Having not bathed for a few days and with little food, the duo was near the verge of death.  
"Ya know, Jak, we should have better thought this through on preparation before coming here." Daxter wheezed.  
"I didn't think this place would be THIS huge." Jak gasped, "Ow, I think my sides hurting."  
"Should we stop?" Daxter groaned.  
"….Yes." And the two dropped face flat on the rugged ground, letting the grass and rock hit their bodies. Both were in terrible conditions. Daxter's fur was rugged and rough due to lack of water and brushing. Jak's hair was a mess from lack of washing, his red scarf was loose to keep the extra sweat out, and holes were a plenty in his pants and leather shirt. It was a rather chilly summer, indicating that Fall was nearby. With night approaching, the trio had to stop once again. It was getting harder and harder to find food, mainly meat. They've relied more on berries then anything else. This wasn't a problem for Jak and his refusal to eat meat, but even he found it quite tedious.  
"I'm getting SICK AND TIRED OF EATING BERRIES!" Daxter shouted, clutching onto his head to hold himself from loosing sanity. Jak was huddled with a blanket. It was cold. Sunset passed and night arrived.  
Jak carried around a two small bags. One was located on his leg and kept the smaller items. Small pocket knife, little bits of bandages, small foods (which he had none as of right now), the likes. His other bag was a knapsack, carrying the bigger items. It held the blanket he was huddling by himself, a pretty small pan for cooking, even a book to keep him company. Larger foods would go in here, too. Jak, still a reckless young man, didn't think to pack any. Don't blame him; he was only 17 years old. Still had much to learn and grow.  
"It's because you didn't pack any that we're stuck out here!" Daxter cried out, "And if we go back, we'll never make it! We spent DAYS traveling!" Jak could barely stand Daxter's rants anymore. He was tired, dirty, smelly, and hungry.  
"Next thing you know, you're gonna eat me!…GASP! You're not gonna eat me, are you, Jak?" Daxter screeched, placing his hands on his cheek, fur standing up, "JAK! I'M NOT EDIBLE! SPARE ME! Wait a sec…in fact, why DON'T you eat me? That way, I won't be stuck in this hellhole for another minute! It's because of YOU that I'm stuck here! SO EAT ME! EAT ME! EAAAAAAAAAATTTTT MEEEEEE-"

"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUP!"

Silence…Jak, who rose up, face deadly red (and it's not because of the campfire), breaths heaving, teeth clenched as well as his hands, nostrils flaring as Daxter watched, lying down from Jak's impact, gulped.

"Just…SHUT UP!" Jak cried out, "Just…No one cares about your rants! I'm BLOODY PISSED ENOUGH AS IT IS!" Jak tried to continued, but he couldn't get his words out. He was too angry.  
"Jak…please…too much stress will cause you …you to be him…" Daxter gasped.  
Jak stopped his frowning face, knowing Daxter was right. He would become…him. He might as go as far as eating Daxter. He stopped, shocked look on his face, and slowly sat down. Silence once again took over them both. Only the flickers of the flames kept the noise. Jak, staring at the floor in embarrassment, decided to sleep. He didn't have a sleeping bag, but the dirt was smooth enough not to bother him. Covering near his entire body sans the top part of his bed, Jak tried to sleep. Daxter, taking precaution, slept on top of a tree. Ottsels, born climbers.

**………………**

"_You seem upset, Jak."  
"It's nothing, Mr. Samos. I just can't do this."  
"Magic is a powerful thing as well as frustrating to learn, but you have a gift, Jak Just be careful with it, is all."  
"Mr. Samos…I can't! How many times have I conjured up a spell, only to have it blown up?"  
"Jak…you must not let stress get to you. It's not like you, for one thing."  
"I know, Mr. Samos…I'm just…frustrated. I wish I never had these stupid powers."  
"Everyone has the right be like that. You just have to understand that we can't be like that all the time. Look outside with me, my boy."  
"…….."  
"See the plants? They are not like the animals. They cannot move of their own free will. Their roots are buried deep beneath the Earth. They have the burden of being victims of rain and thunder, of being cut down by people like us, yet they manage to stay strong. All the stress they get passes by them in a faze. They know they can't control it. It is hard for them, but they know."  
"But we are not trees, Mr. Samos. We're precursians."  
"Yes, of course, Jak, but we can learn a lot from nature. They are the reason we exist, Jak. They are strong. It's okay to be stressed, but you must learn to control it. If you do not…you'll regret it."  
"How?"  
"I'm not sure, but you will if you are not careful."_

**…………………**

"Samos…your words…they were always wise." Jak muttered. He couldn't sleep. He spoke to himself quietly. He wasn't aware what the consequences were. He was always able to control his stress back in the old days, but now…he let loose like a volcano which erupted on a daily basis. Jak huddled in his blanket. He knew the consequences now…too much stress turned him into a monster…a real one. Jak…all he did was huddled, huddled like he was protecting himself. He had little control over what to do with his demonic form. What could he do? As far as he's concerned, there is no cure for his disastrous form. Light Eco…I wonder if that could help him? But do they even exist in this side of the world? Jak didn't know where he was. He hated this place. He wanted to kill the Baron so badly. Every time he nears the palace in Haven City, he just wanted to let loose and burst through that door. His demon form could easily do it, but once again, he was afraid of it and knew better then to unleash it. Jak somehow knew in the end of all this…he just wanted to go home. He didn't cry, he just lied there, staring at the night sky. He was pretty high and near the edge of a cliff, but Jak wasn't one to roll out of bed, so he was safe. He was surrounded by trees. All he could do was think about Samos' words…how trees are strong. How much Jak could learn from them…

…………………

**Haven Forest**  
**Month 8:****Augosti**_, Day 15 (Summer Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)  
_Morning…it was harsh, it was cruel, and it was smelly, too. Jak groaned. The first thing he didn't see was sunlight, rather a looming shadow. Jak slowly got up, wondering what the hell was blocking the sun. He rubbed his eyes. Opening them slowly, he saw a rather large figure's rear end staring right back at him. Jak gasped. He looked around for Daxter and found him on top of the tree, still sleeping. Jak gulping, slowly got up and stuffed his blanket in his bed quickly. He then moved slowly away from the monster's rear end and tried whispering to Daxter._  
_"Daxter…" no avail, he tried louder, "DAXTER!" The little ottsel was curled, clutching onto his tail, using it as a pillow._  
_"Daxter, come on, get up!" Jak whispered loudly, but not too loud. He wanted to climb the tree, but that would cause too much attention. The monster started to face in Jak's directions. Jak gasped and quickly hid behind the tree where Daxter was. He stood behind for good few seconds before turning around to face the monster. It was quite large. It was on his hind legs, its front legs on the tree. It was eating the leaves from up there. Above further observation, Jak noticed it was a Metal Head. A ram-Head, to be more specific. It's like staring at a Rhino, you could say. Very brown in color with the usual Metal Head-ish armors.

Jak prayed it wouldn't see Daxter enough to disturb it. Wishful thinking indeed. As the monster got close to eating, Daxter felt movement from the tree branches, tickling him.  
"Oooh, no…ladies…one at a time. There's plenty of ottsel for everyone." Daxter mumbled, smiling in his sleep. The tree branches continued to touch him, making Daxter slightly giggle, "Ooo, you're a feisty one, ain't ya? How about I show you the love machine in action?" Daxter slowly got up, then opened his eyes,  
and facing him was the Ram-Head. The Ram-head payed no attention to Daxter who was covered in the tree branch it was eating until he stood up. All was silent.  
"Uh…hey there." Daxter gulped. The Ram-Head continued to eat, obviously not caring. Jak slowly took a deep breath.  
"Daxter." He whispered. This time, he heard. Knowing what to do, Daxter climbed down and landed on Jak's shoulders.  
"Where's Puar?" Daxter asked.  
"I…" Good question, Where IS Puar? Well, they would think once they moved out of harm's way, least one move might trigger the creature to do something. And move they did, but not far enough by the time Puar came, shouting as she usual did so.  
"I FOUND ONE!" Puar shouted, scaring the hell out of the duo. The Ram-Head groaned loudly. Then it saw the three. Lining itself up, it scratched the dirt with one of its feet, ready to charge after them.  
"Oops." Puar gasped.  
"OH BLOODY HELL, RUN!" Jak shouted. The trio ran/hovered, as the Ram-Head headed their way. It was large, but exceptionally fast.

"You had to open your big mouth, Puar!" Daxter cried.  
"I'm sorry, but I found one of the three items we were looking for!" Puar cried out, "I scouted ahead to see if I could locate them and I found one and I recorded it and I know where it is and…and...I found one!"  
"Good! Good! We'll get to it AFTER we survive!" Jak cried out, obviously not wanting to be road kill from the Ram-Head.  
"OH, if I don't survive, I'll see you all in the Afterlife!" Daxter cried, tightly clutching onto Jak's shoulders, "I just hope all the women in the world will come to my funeral!"  
The trio ran down a narrow path. If they fell, they would die. They were pretty damn high. The Ram-Head manage to squeeze itself into the tight path, gaining towards Jak. Jak had to slow him down, so he took out his red Scatter Gun and shot him. The armor protected the beast, but it stunned him for a bit, giving Jak and the others the advantage. They took the time and climbed up so more, hoping the Ram-Head could not climb. It didn't, but found another path to get to them.  
"That's a pretty smart Metal Head for a big one." Daxter gasped, "That's it, we're doomed! We're gonna get eaten by it!"  
"Actually, I think he's a plant eater." Jak struggled as he climbed, finally reaching the top.  
"WHO CARES?" Daxter cried out, "THIS IS NO TIME FOR A LESSON ON METAL HEAD BIOLOGY! He'll flatten us, then leave out dead carcasses where animals will drag us away and eat us!"  
"Why are you so panicky about being eaten?" Jak cried out, annoyed.  
"HELLO! I'm an OTTSEL! Incase you didn't know, we're not exactly above the top of the food chain!" Daxter scoffed, "Unlike your species, Jak!"  
"My species?" Jak gasped, "Daxter, you're sounding like you've been an ottsel your entire life!"  
"With the way things are now, I wonder if I will be!" Daxter sighed, still clutching onto his partner's shoulder as they ran from the Ram-Head, once again behind them. Jak continuously shot it, but it still kept gaining up to them. Their running stopped when they reached the edge overlooking a waterfall. First sign of water they've seen in days.  
"That's it, we're doomed." Daxter sniffled, "Jak…before I go…I just wanna tell ya…you're the best friend I ever had…even if we argue so much…I LOVE YA, MAN!" Daxter hugged Jak's face, who was too busy trying to think of a plan to get out to care.  
"Okay, that is it! Puar hates it when bad things happen!" Puar sprung out from behind Jak, "Puar will SAVE THE DAY!" Then Puar did something the duo did not expect. It somehow opened itself up and chucked out a small bomb! The bomb landed near the monster's feet as Puar became herself again. In a couple of seconds, the monster exploded. It didn't stop there. The edge Jak and Daxter was on started to crumble apart from the explosion, causing them to fall.  
"Oh-No." Jak groaned. It was too late for them to save themselves. The duo fell and fell…

_SPLASH!_ Right smack dab into the lake accompanying the waterfall. Jak started to swim up when he got himself together, Daxter still clutching onto his shoulder like a freaked out kitten.  
The two reached the top and were gasping for air. Puar watched them. After they got their breaths together, Jak and Daxter glared at Puar…

**…………………**

One bath later (and a canteen full of water)…  
"You never told me you had weapons." Jak gasped.  
"Oh, I know." Puar smiled, "I just wanted to have the element of surprise! Plus, I only unleash it when it's a super duper emergency!"  
"Yea, well, it would have helped if you unleashed it a bit earlier." Daxter groaned.  
"Well, the good thing is, we got a bath, cleaned out clothes from the smell, and got water." Jak sighed, "A clean lake, finally! So, all we need is food."  
"What about the item?" Puar asked.  
"Oh, that…well, where is it?" Jak asked.  
"Over there." Puar stared up. Jak and Daxter walked over and saw a strange, giant gadget. Jak and Daxter stared at each other and eyed the complicated mess of machinery and magic. It was brown with a glowing center.  
"What is it?" Jak gasped, "I mean, it looks like an old Precursor machine."  
"Archeologists say that they are." Puar answered, "No one knows what it really is just yet, so they left it alone. Others claim that Mar made it. Most people tend to believe in that one the most."  
"I bet that's the prize!" Daxter pointed to a small triangular gear floating in midair inside the contraption. He walked over to it, and then picked it up, "They won't miss that one tiny gear (he casually grabbed it). Like candy from a baby!"  
As the ottsel started to walk away, the gadget stopped working. Then it started to fall apart, one by one, piece by piece until the entire machinery was down on the ground. Yet Daxter still walked away without an ounce of guilt while Jak watched the whole thing in horror, clutching his head in frustration and guilt.  
"No one will ever know we were here!" Daxter proudly smiled to himself. Jak started to protest, but a giant boulder from the machine rolled past him, forcing himself to remind silent. The trio moved on. Jak knew the gear was needed and it fit the picture Onin showed, so he walked off, slightly guilt ridden.  
The trio continued, one item in Jak's bag. They were happier now that they actually got something from their mission.  
"I wonder why Onin herself couldn't have done this?" Daxter gasped, "And don't give me the excuse _"cuz she's an old lady!"_

**…………………**

The trio managed to climb down and return to the waterfall. While Jak was observing their new prize, Daxter was knee deep in the lake where they got their water and bathe. He was trying to catch fish. Every time he tried to catch one, it slipped past him.  
"Way to go, Daxter." Jak grinned, slightly chuckling.  
"If you can do better, then YOU do it!" Daxter screamed.  
"You know it goes against everything I stand for in the whole animal rights department." Jak casually spoke, tossing the triangular trinket carelessly, catching it with relative ease.  
Daxter made a small "hmph" and continued his fishing affair. Suddenly, the ottsel in him took over and in a matter of seconds; three fishes flew out of the water and landed near Jak. Jak just stared at Daxter in amazement on how much of an ottsel he was becoming.  
"That's a lot of fish you're planning to kill, isn't it?" Jak asked.  
"Hey, I'm an ottsel; fishes are part of our diets." Daxter smiled.  
Jak tried to stared a fire so that Daxter could cook the fishes (no matter how much he disapproved), but he was surprised when Daxter had already begun to eat. His fish was still wet and raw, but Daxter ate it…like a real ottsel. He didn't even notice it until he saw Jak and Puar curiously staring at him.  
"What?" Daxter asked, then he eyed the fish he was eating, "Oh…"  
"It's okay, Daxter, you're a ottsel." Puar smiled, "You eat fish like that."  
"I wonder if I'll ever become too ottsel that I won't even know who I am." Daxter sighed, continuing his food.  
"You, Daxter?" Jak started to answer "Yea, sure…with that big ass mouth of yours, I doubt it."  
"Funny." Daxter sarcastically replied. Jak's main source of food was the berries the duo had for days. Despite his vegetarian position, Jak was slightly envious of Daxter's fishes, mainly because of the tedious amount of berry eating he's been dining lately.  
After the satisfying amount of food Daxter fetched more fishes and got Jak to wrap them in a small blanket to preserve it. The sunlight turned into clouds and rain soon fell. Sounds of thunder were heard. Jak sighed and searched the forest. The leaves growing from the ground were tremendous, so Jak took good advantage of it, plucked one out, and used it as an umbrella. Daxter, too was covered. Puar was waterproof.

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 8:****Augosti**_, Day? (Summer Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_  
The rain poured heavily. The storm clouds grew darker. Such a tragic site when rain falls on Haven City. It seems to make people who already looked horrible much worse. And to think, a mere three years ago, this city was beautiful, including the palace of Haven City…

Newspaper after newspaper showed stories, mainly front pages, of the Underground Organizations slowly, but surely gaining the upper hand on the city. The Baron kept the newspapers, disgusted at them. Nobody really knew why he never trashed any. It's quite clear that he kept them for one reason: Jak. Such an obvious answer. At one hand, he was angry, mad, disappointed, that Jak kept beating his soldiers down, and was probably the most recognized member of the Underground this side of Torn. Jak graced every newspapers dealing with the Underground, sometimes in a blur since he would escape so easily. He was quite famous. No one quite knew what he looked like except the Baron and the Underground because he was quick in his missions. Even if they did, most probably wouldn't care. Most hate the Baron. Others do care, relying on the Baron who was their only saviors. The other hand was how sometimes he would be in the news as his demonic self. The Baron saw that his creation was a success. If only he could think of some way to get Jak to work on his side…

He was known as Jak Bannon (the last name Krew so eagerly gave him, one which Jak prefers NOT to be called by). He first was called that when he entered a couple of races in Mar's memorial stadium. He wasn't competing or anything, just having fun. He wasn't in any team either. He was a renegade. People saw his skills in the race when he did race for real, mainly for the money and saw what true potential he has. The top racer kept a close eye on him, but then again, he always had a close eye on him.

Erol, Haven City's number one racer noticed Jak's ability to race. He was exceptionally good. Erol had more then just killing Jak on his mind now. Erol saw potential threat to his position as the best racer, a position he cherished dearly, of not obsessed over.

Jak Bannon the Renegade. Called by people of the city, enemies of Jak, as well as friends. That was what he was called. He was a legend to Haven City and the one of the city's shining hope. The baron growled as he tossed the newspaper on the floor, making a hard _SPLAT _sound. He rubbed his forehead and took a sip of his tea. At the moment, Erol was still on his mission to find and kill Jak. Ashelin was busying herself finding the lost Tomb of Mar. Any clue that she found, it was immediately reported to the Baron himself. He started to have suspicious thoughts on her lately. She seemed to hold something deep inside. The baron would do whatever it took to find out.

The other hope of the city was the small Prince himself, Prince Christof. Staring out a small window (one of the few located) inside the Underground, the child sighed. He missed Jak already. He talked with the older man many times, but the conversation never really lasted. Reasons being was that he was picked for the majority of the missions and his fellow peers would chat with him for hours on end. Jak was easily annoyed as a result sometimes. Christof was a child Jak enjoyed talking to. He reminded him of himself as a child a lot. Christof smiled whenever he thought of Jak. It was nice to have a "big brother" to rely on. Christof had to constantly travel from the Underground to Vin's lab to other underground locations every couple of weeks, maybe even less depending on the situation. It was a tedious routine and very tiresome as well. He hated it.  
He was also Kor's student. Kor was his mentor, teaching him mathematics, English, Geometry, and the likes. He hated that as well. Not because of the study, but because Kor was a harsh teacher. He never let Christof have any sense of decent fun. Especially for one his age. Only 8 years old. The only thing he was interested in was the legends of Precursors and the old languages they spoke. Christof could read ancient Precusor texts and spoke it fluently. He also knew more about Precursor legends then anyone else, even Kor and Vin. Naturally, this ability is one of the main reasons the Baron desires him so much. This has crossed Christof's mind many times, but right now, at the current moment, his mind was directed to Jak. He wonders if he is safe. He hasn't seen Jak in about two weeks now. The longest Jak had been away from the Underground. Torn spends most of his time buried in his own work to care if Jak was gone or not, but it is obvious to the young prince's eyes that even the former top soldier of the Krimzon Guards was worrying over him. With expression likes, "Where the hell is Jak, I need him for this mission" or "If he doesn't get his ass back here, I'll shoot him in his ass!"  
"Mr. Jak…where are you?" The young prince asked as he stared at the soaked window…  
**To Be Continued…**

**…………**

**Author's Notes:** Jak's venture into vegetarian was a decision I made about a few months ago, so long time readers will notice some changes. I'm just mentioning this since I notice I didn't make many characters vegetarian and the way Jak often interacts with animals, I think worked out well.


	9. Fever

**Jak II  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 9: Fever**

_I wasn't aware of where Daxter was taking me for his "revenge", but that thought didn't stay long. I noticed that I was outside of the village and in the Forbidden Jungle. I wasn't aloud to go here. You have told me many times not to, but I had a new friend, so I went willingly, although I was kinda scared a bit. He took me further and further into the jungle, fearful that he would lose his way, but I tagged along. We stopped afterwards and Daxter told me to be quiet._

"_What is it?" I whispered. Daxter pointed as we hid behind a bush. I didn't see why we had to hide behind a bush, but I got my answer when I saw Kiera and her group of tag-a-longs near a cave. I gasped. That was no ordinary cave…it was a Lurker cave.  
"Daxter! What are Kiera and the others doing in a Lurker's cave?" I gasped, "That's dangerous!"  
"Yea, and it's the perfect time for revenge." Daxter rubbed his hands, grinning evilly. I was confused, what was he going to do? More importantly, what was Kiera doing near a Lurker's cave? _

"Kiera, I'm scared!" cried one of her groupies.  
"Then go home!" She shouted, "I'm going in!"  
"Kiera, don't!" cried a girl. Her name was Vena and was known commonly as Kiera's most loyal friend. She would never question Kiera and would tag along with her like some dog; Vena treated Kiera like the Queen she was. She practically ruled the playground anyways, but now, she was questioning her master's decision, "Kiera, you'll die! The Lurkers are dangerous!"  
"I don't CARE!" Kiera threw a fit, "I HATE them! I HATE Lurkers! They killed my mom and dad! I'm gonna make them pay!" Kiera moved a few inches, stopped, then faced the others, "Well? Aren't you all coming in?" None of the kids made a move. They were too scared.  
"FINE!" She hissed, "I'll go myself!" And without a second to take a breath, she marched right in the cave.  
I gasped as I saw her go straight in. Daxter grinned, ready to launch his plans.  
"Daxter, how did you know Kiera was heading there?" I whispered, rather panicky.  
"I eavesdropped on her conversation a while back on how she planned to go here today." Daxter answered. I wasn't going to let Kiera die in the hands of Lurkers. Even if she did beat me up and said so many hurtful things to me, I could not let her die. So, I left the bush and met with the other kids.

"_Hey! It's the freak kid!" cried one of the kids. More hurtful things were hurled in my direction.  
"Kiera." I muttered.  
"She went in there." One of the kids pointed, "She's going to die, I can tell." she obviously wasn't concern of the welfare of Kiera. I stared at the cave.  
"You're not going to go in there, are you?"  
"Awww, who cares? A freak like him belongs with freaks like the Lurkers."  
"Jak!" I turned and faced Vena, who was crying harshly, "PLEASE, please bring Kiera back! I don't want her to die!" She cried and couldn't get another word out. To me, this was yet another turn of surprises. Vena, being the ever loyal right hand girl to Kiera, usually didn't even get an inch near me without putting on her infamous frowning faces. I wasn't sure if she despised me because she hated who I was or because Kiera hated me, but this was a shocking turn of events. I didn't say anything before Daxter interrupted.  
"Don't worry, I'll save Kiera!" Daxter spoke in a manner that a hero would, "Come, Jak, let's go!" He marched into the cave, giving a slight gulp before doing so. I sighed and followed him.  
_

_The cave wasn't that dark as I thought. I could see well enough, but it was easy to stumble into a wandering rock or stump. The entire cave was small, which often made me question how the Lurkers could move about so freely and with little trouble. I was scared, but I wasn't going to let Kiera die.  
"Daxter." I started, hoping to start a conversation to let loose the fear I had in me, "…What is your plan?"  
"Simple, I'm going to scare Kiera by pretending to be a Lurker." Daxter grinned, "She'll be peeing in her pants."  
"Daxter, why are you doing this?" I asked.  
"To get revenge, silly." Daxter snickered, "She deserved it for beating up on everyone. You get beat up a lot, don't you want revenge?"  
"No." I quickly answered. Daxter stopped and I bumped into him afterwards, causing me to fall on my bottom.  
"What?" Daxter grew louder.  
"No one deserves that much, Daxter." I said, "I do not care how much she beats me up, she's a good person." Daxter ignored me and moved on._

_We must've traveled for about 15 minutes now. It was dull and tedious, going down a narrow tunnel. Our excitement came when we tripped and started to fall. We screamed…screamed…screamed until we heard a third pair of scream. We bumped into Kiera who was obviously scared. Daxter's plan was a bit ruined, though we did scare Kiera…somewhat. Both Daxter and I fell down a hole on the tunnels' end. After we manage to calm ourselves down, Kiera screamed out ears off._

"_YOU STUPID IDIOTS!" She shouted, "I'm all bruised and bleeding because of you two!"  
"HEY! You deserved it, stupid head!" And the argument started. I dusted myself off and stared at the two arguing. The argument seemed to trail off as I heard a distant sound from the hole next to us. It was a dark hole, one I could not see very well. The distant growl seemed to grow louder. I stared at that hole, unaware of the two arguing.  
"Jak! Help me argue with her!" Daxter cried. I didn't say anything. I was staring at that hole.  
"Jak?" Daxter repeated my name.  
"Jak?" Kiera also repeated. They, too heard the sound now. The growl grew louder and louder…and staring back at us…were two yellow eyes. Then magenta colored fur. A Lurker was face to face with us. The three of us stood there, frozen. It was when it growled loudly did we run. We had to climb up the way we fell, struggling with all our might to get up. We were not good climbers in the tunnel; being just children, we had little upper body strength and out tiny hands were easily victims to the rocks and weeds we had to rely on to climb. Our hands were bleeding and bombarded with scratches ands cuts. It was a burning experience. The Lurker was an expert, however. His claws saw truth to that.  
"That's it, we're dead meat!" Daxter cried.  
"Keep climbing!" I motivated him, as well as Kiera who we let climb first. She was in an emotional distress. She hated lurkers, as well as greatly feared them. After all, her parents were killed right in front of her. Daxter and I had to practically push her out. After we climbed up, we ran down the long narrow path, the Lurker gaining up on us. Its speed was incredible.  
"We're going to die!" Daxter cried out. We were all bruised, cut, scraped, and then some. Enough that we were slowly loosing blood. We needed to go to the hospital. I was the one furthest behind, so the Lurker was nearest to me. I could feel his fur and smell his breath. I was scared. I didn't wanted to die. The Lurker growled as I ran.  
I saw light on the other end. I just needed to make it, make it so that I can survive. The Lurker got note we were close to escaping, so he stopped and threw a tantrum. We stopped, wondering why he did so, then we got our answer. He was creating a cave in. In a matter of seconds, we were trapped in the cave as the main entrance was blocked off. I could hear the other kids outside, screaming in fear. Daxter and Kiera were practically clutching onto each other, crying. Me? I just stared at the beast, wondering what I could do. I'm only a kid, what could I do?  
"Leave them alone!" I shouted. Ooh, real good idea. Get the Lurker even MORE angry and provoked. Of course the Lurker took no threat from us, "Please, leave them alone! Let us go! We meant no harm!" The creature roared his laughter and tossed me until I collapsed harshly onto the ground. I couldn't move very well. The thrust was a hard one and in return, I lost all feeling on my right arm. I couldn't move it. The Lurker saw me as a weak individual, so he decided to leave me alone and take out the other two who were both busy screaming their heads off.  
"No…" I whispered, "I…I won't…" I slowly got up, despite one of my arm lacking usefulness. The Lurker slowly aimed for the two. He was ready to swipe and kill them and eat them or something. I got up and got angry. I did not want them to die. I didn't know what happen next…all I knew was that…I was glowing…  
Next thing I knew…the cave's entrance exploded, making a way out for us. A brilliant white light surrounded me…I felt…powerful.  
"Go…" I told my friends…and they did. Next thing I knew…the lurker disappeared. I did not know if he ran away in fear or if…if I killed it, but I stopped glowing…then I collapsed…and I was unconscious. Then I woke up and I saw you, Uncle._

_And So, Jak ended his tale. I didn't know what to say. This was a speechless event; I didn't get a chance to speak when a door knock came. I left his room and opened the door only to lower my head to see both Kiera and Daxter who had their fair share of bandages, just not as worse as Jak.  
"Hello." Kiera waved.  
"We came to see Jak…is that okay?" Daxter asked. I, shocked at first, smiled, and then nodded. The two kids went to Jak who saw them enter. Jak, despite all he had been through, all his insults, all his pain (both physically and mentally), waved to them with his good arm and smiled heartily._

……………………

**Haven Forest**  
**Month 9: **_Seminia, Day 3 (Summer/Fall Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads) _

"That's some peeper, huh?" Daxter commented, staring at the white light located on top of the ceiling._  
_The two went directly underneath it. Jak was careful not to get burnt as did Puar, but Daxter was a bit careless._  
_"Something's cooking? Hmm, kinda smells like…" The smoke was obviously coming from his tail. The light from the sun was heating it up, causing his tail to burn, "..Burnt Ottsel? Aggggghhhhh!"_  
_And with that, Daxter ran off like a crazed maniac, running into a switch that caused the platform Jak was on to spin. The object they seek slowly landed in their direction. Jak smiled and took the glass lens. It was quite a huge piece of object, covering half of his chest. He smiled as he eyed Daxter who was previously running around, trying to cool his tail which was now a smell shade of smoke.

After about a month in Haven Forest, the three finally got the last item. They had already nabbed the second item a while back, a beautiful blue crystal. One which someone like Krew would greatly add to his collection or maybe even trade it for some wad of cash. With the three in Jak's bag (the lens cap was a bit harder to shove in), the trio headed down where BellFlower happily waited for them. After a nice pat on the head, Jak, Daxter, Puar, and BellFlower made their way back to the farm. There, Avery greeted Jak back and his wife made them some fresh food which they all gored down like dogs.  
After a couple of days sleeping and relaxing their muscles, the trio waved good-bye to them (as well as BellFlower), and left. They needed to go to Onin's, but they knew they should see Torn first.  
"He might worry about us." Jak smiled. Worry indeed. Torn practically ripped Jak's face off. His screaming went on for a good hour while Jak slowly grinned, taking it all in. He was used to it.  
Afterwards, he contacted with Pecker on the three items he had. Pecker scheduled to give it to them as soon as possible (it was more on their end as they were swarming with customers). Right now, he was happy to be back in the Underground. The place was no Haven Palace, but Jak quickly accepted that it was his home.

……………………

**Haven City**  
**Month 9: **_Seminia, Day 6 (Summer/Fall Time)_  
**Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads) _

During his stay in Haven Forest, the leaves started to dramatically fall and change colors. The temperature dropped. Autumn was finally approaching. The leaves were now a mixture of orange, red, and yellow, with some hints of green, some mixed in color. All in all, the environment looked beautiful which said a lot concerning the drab area of Haven City. This was Tess' favorite season, one which Daxter would take advantage and comment on his "likings" for this season to warm up to the tall blond. Jak enjoyed it, too. As a child, he would collect every different colored leaves he could find for his collection. He simply loved the surreal colors. For a while there, he had a sense of contentment. It helped in this otherwise dull city. How he missed his surreal Sandover village town. He often wondered how the people in there were doing. He wondered if his uncle was doing alright.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" He heard the distance sound of Daxter who was in a state of panic. Ani the crocadog was chasing after him. Jak sighed and got Daxter away from the dog while the Kid got Ani away from Daxter. They both apologized for their "pet's" behavior.  
"I heard that Sir Torn hasn't given you a mission in a while." The Kid smiled.  
"He's still pissed that I haven't kept contact with him, is all." Jak shrugged, "It's okay. I'm used to his yells. After all, I got yelled at all the time in prison, even if I think the bloke should just calm down every five seconds or so."  
"Prison…must be awful." The kid looked down, "My uncle does so many harsh things to people. One cannot imagine what it's like to live in one of his prisons."  
"Well, I survived and I haven't gone insane…sorta." Jak cleared his throat.  
"You're special, Mr. Jak." The kid smiled.  
"No, I'm not." Jak shook his head, in near disbelief.  
"Yes…you are." The kid nodded, knowing he was sure of what he said.  
"Did you find out anything about my…er…fainting problems and whatnot?" Jak asked, changing the subject. The kid shook his head…

……………………

**Onin's Hut, The Bazaar**  
**Month 10: **_Octeria, Day 10 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

It was a cold and rainy autumn day when Jak, Daxter, and Puar (eagerly hovering behind), went over to Onin's hut. It was hell to get there since the rain was a freakin' storm, but Pecker and Onin had little time to chat with Jak. They DID have a job as soothsayers, getting customers who wish to have their fortunes told (which was the main reason why it took over a month for them to meet again).  
"We get a lot of customers during the fall seasons, especially on rainy days." Pecker translated for Onin, "Rain is considered a bad omen, so they come over here for some fortune and luck."  
"A lot of crap, I say!" Pecker scoffed, "You (pointing to Jak) precursians believe _anything!"_  
Jak was in a rather stressed mood, seeing as they had no clue it was going to rain so harshly, the trio didn't possessed an umbrella. Puar had no problems. She was waterproof. Daxter was semi alright, his fur kept him from getting so cold. Jak, on the other hand, had the difficult problems. Despite his tight blue leather tunic, the young teenager was shivering head to toe.  
"Puar, when we get home we're installing an umbrella in you." Daxter groaned.  
"Don't you watch the TV for news on weather reports!" Pecker pointed out.  
"I don't really watch TV. I find it to be mindless dribble." Jak answered. Indeed, his stay in Haven City hasn't spoiled him with technology. He still prefers the more simpler approach, only using technology in most cases if it was of necessary use.  
"Well, we DO have newspapers!" Pecker rolled his eyes.  
"Can we just bloody do this! I'm freezing my ass over here!" Jak cried out, irritated.  
"Some people are never patient." Pecker softly muttered.

It is such a shame. Jak, who had suffered two years in prison, being tortured, tormented, probed, alienated, and experimented. His life in Sandover Village where he proceeded to hardwork by cleaning, carrying wagons, helping people carry heavy objects, and of course, the grueling missions Torn and others have sent him to do, yet despite all that…a simple rain storm was key to Jak's downfall. He had a problem staying healthy for such a long time for unknown odd reasons, despite himself keeping in shape, eating right, exercising right, and the likes. The young man suffered greatly from fevers, headaches, and other unknown sickness that plagued him. Doctors in Sandover would often come over on Jak's worst sick days and tell his uncle and Samos that he had no hope in surviving this whatever disease/sickness he had, yet a few days later, Jak was healthy once again. It was an odd case. Samos theorized his magic inside his body and every use of it weakened his immunity system, yet ironically healed him when he was at his worst. One of the reasons the people of Sandover saw Jak as the miracle child, truly one sent by the Precursors, they muttered.

Right now, Jak was having problems fighting off the raindrops falling on his face. He had a long overcoat with a hood, leather and dark blue as his dark blue tunic which he wore to keep warm during the fall and winter weather. He placed that long overcoat over his face along with his red scarf which acted more scarf-like then as a hooded disguise or fashion statement, even though it would not be enough. He had to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING to keep warm. Driving a zoomer was definitely out of the question in this kind of weather. In fact, he rather not drive on any vehicles, not even the well tracked Trams ("I left my Tram card at home and I don't have enough money to get in one, Torn hasn't paid me yet, that bloody bastard."). He walked the entire way…this caused him a good few hours to get to Onin. The rain did not stop.

……………………

"What took you so long anyways?" Pecker screeched as the three entered, completely wet, "We actually had to cancel a few customers because of you!"  
"Cancel?" Daxter gasped, "All along, you could CANCEL? We WAITED a month for this and you could cancel? You couldn't even cancel people on a better weather, huh? WHAT IS CRAP!" For once, Jak followed Daxter's complaint.  
"Think of it as a test to prove yourself." Pecker grinned, eyeing Jak, which only further boiled Daxter's blood.  
"Did we pass?" Jak groaned, stressed. Onin nodded and Jak collapsed to his knees.  
"Here…" Jak groaned, "The three items." And with that, Jak slowly took them out of his soaked bag. Onin made them all float and examined them to make sure they were the real deal. She put on a pondering face, eyed it for a good few seconds, and then nodded in approval.  
"Onin said that these are acceptable." Pecker translated, "She will examine and research them, so for now, you guys can be off."  
Wait…that's it?" Daxter gasped, "We don't get to stay?"  
"What, no! We got paying customers, now shoo!" Pecker shushed them away with his wings.  
"But it's pouring rain out there." Daxter groaned, "My fur smells horrible! And Jak looks like some homeless person!"  
"None of my business." Pecker groaned, "Now leave so we can do business." And with that, Pecker shushed them away.  
"Great, we gonna walk back!" Daxter growled, staring at Jak.  
Onin made some gesture towards Pecker who loudly complained. She made a stern face as if he didn't do what she asked, he'd be roasted Monkaw. Pecker grumbled and walked off of Onin's hat, made his way to a corner where a small brown knapsack was, and fished out some currency.  
"Here, Onin said to use this to take a Tram home." Pecker bitterly spoke, "Just take it before I change my mind!"  
"WOO! SCORE!" Daxter grinned as Jak pocketed the money. Pecker vindictively eyed the trio as they left, then grumbled back towards Onin. The first few customers after Jak had a rather unpleasant fortune reading as a result…  
Meanwhile, the three hitched a ride on the nearest Tram back to the slums.

…………………

The tram ride was a bit surreal this time around. Except for the occasionally friendship exchanges by friends, and little kids making a bit of a fuss, the Tram was exceptionally quiet and empty. Most people quickly left to go home. It was already 6 PM and the sky was already dark from the storm clouds which were in their blackest of all blackest in color.  
Being it was near empty, Jak sat on a lone bench. Daxter shook the water of his fur before sitting next to Jak. Jak covered his body with his overcoat, trying to retain his warmth. He was violently shaking.  
"Master Jak…are you alright?" Puar asked with great concern. Jak didn't say or do anything to respond her question.  
"Puar, ya better leave him alone." Daxter suggested in a half sleepy tone, "…He's not used to cold weather."  
"…Daxter…he's so pale." Puar responded. Daxter, unfortunately nodded in agreement. Daxter, being Jak's friend for a decade truly knew what that meant…

…………………

Jak slept early that night. No buts about it. No matter how much Torn commented on his "laziness", no matter how much his underground buddies wanted to have fun with him, no matter how much the Kid wanted to discuss matters with him. Jak wanted to sleep, nothing more. Daxter knew fully well why and made sure no one would disturb him.

Morning arrived fast. Puar received a phone call from Vin to which Daxter picked up in the privacy of an empty sans Daxter, Puar, and the sleeping Jak.  
"Where's Jak?" came the small, holographic Vin.  
"Sleeping." Daxter sighed, "What are you calling for?"  
"What am I calling for!" Vin gasped, "I came to tell Jak the elevators are now operative! He can enter into the Baron's palace if he wants to."  
"Really?" Daxter cried out, "Geez, I'm sure Jak would be glad to do that as soon as I tell him…that's why I'm, NOT planning to tell him."  
"Whu-why?" Vin asked, confused.  
"I think Jak's sick." Daxter sighed, "Too much time out in the rain yesterday."  
"Well, that wasn't a smart move, couldn't he, oh, I don't know, stay home?" Vin cried out, flailing his arm in true panic.  
"Like he had a choice." Daxter sighed, "Look, I'll tell him when he's better, okay?  
"Alright…but please hurry; the Baron will wonder why the elevators are on!" Vin gulped, "And if he finds out that they are on, I'm doomed. I just know he's going to be pointing fingers at me!"  
"Yea, yea, don't worry, Jak's a fast healer." Daxter sighed. He hung up. Daxter scratched his furry head, and then eyed Jak who was right across from him, sleeping. The blanket he had on was a thin, skinny one with his overcoat on top. One blanket per member. There were no heavy ones, so they had to make due with what they got. Daxter knew Jak needed as much warmth as possible, so he ran on all fours to Torn who was busying himself with maps of the city and the surrounding areas. The Kid was with him in the same room, reading a rather fat book. Since it was quite huge and quite heavy, the kid had to plop it down on his legs. It was his favorite book because it explained so much on the Precursors and the stories and legends behind them. The child, too wore warm clothings. His overalls were the same, but he now had on longer sleeves and boots.

"Hey, big guy!" Torn stopped his work and eyed the loudmouth rodent.  
"What?" Torn hissed.  
"Little favor." Daxter answered, keeping himself a good distance away from him.  
"What?" Torn repeated, glaring.  
"It's Jak." Daxter started, "I ahhh…well, the weather is pretty cold and all…and Jak wasn't himself yesterday…so, I was wondering…you happen to have any extra blankets for him to use? Ya know, maybe one or two?"  
"No." Torn's answer was harsh and to the point, "I'm not making favors on anyone!"  
"But-" Daxter protested.  
"NO." Torn hissed, "Jak's a strong kid, he doesn't need to be baby'd."

Daxter mumbled in complaint. The kid watched as the little Ottsel made his way out. On his way out, Daxter nearly ran into Tess.  
"WHOA!" Tess gasped.  
"AHH, sorry, babe." Daxter moved out of the way. Tess was lucky that she wasn't the victim of falling. In her hands was a tray for Jak.  
"It's okay." Tess sighed, smiling.  
"What's that?" Daxter eyed the food.  
"For your friend, Jak." Tess answered, "He's usually up by now, but since he isn't, I decided to give him his breakfast today." Tess, too, was dressed warmly. Long pants, long sleeved sweat shirt. Everyone in the Underground had their autumn and winter clothing ready. It seems only Torn remained the same, his armor and leather outfit providing as much warmth for him as it would any one.  
"Hey, that's decent." Daxter smiled, "Just place it somewhere; I'll try to get him to eat."  
"Oh, Daxter, you're such a sweet little Ottsel." Tess giggled, pinching his left cheek.  
"Oh…I can be MORE then sweet, baby." Daxter moved his eyebrows up and down, "If you know what I mean." Tess once more giggled upon Daxter's antics.

Daxter followed Tess into the room where Jak was. The room was quiet, as well as dark. No windows were located and with the lights off, it was pitch black. Tess, knowing her way around headquarters, slowly moved in and placed Jak's food down on a small table before leaving. Daxter's job was simple, waiting for Jak to wake up, then help feed him. This went on for two days before Torn got pissed at Jak's laziness (as far as he was concerned), and ordered him to get out.

"You had your vacation, I gave you time to heal from Haven Forest, now GET OUT and do something!" Torn banged on the door, "You damn lazy blonde idiot!"  
"…Ow…my head." Jak mumbled, clutching onto his head as he curled in his blanket. Daxter sighed. He went over to the banging door, opened it, responded Jak wasn't feeling well, then closed it. Torn was even more pissed, thinking Jak was merely making excuses. He did not trust the blonde haired boy just yet. Hours later, the Kid took matters into his own hands and told Torn to fetch a doctor for Jak. Torn, knowing full well arguing against the prince would be futile, went up and got the Underground's doctor. Simple rule: If you mess with Prince Christof, you'd better have a damn good argument to debate against.

The doctor came and after much inspections (and Torn constantly asking, "Are you sure he's not faking it?"), it was confirmed Jak was very ill.  
"A fever at the least." The doctor replied, "Here…give him these after every meal." The doctor handed in some herbs packaged in a white envelope. Torn practically snatched it out of his hands and eyed it quickly before facing the doctor.  
"With it, he'll heal in no time." The doctor smiled.  
"Thanks, doc." Daxter patted his leg. Torn gave the medicine to Tess who was now officially in charge of it.  
"Make sure he gets plenty of rest." The doctor continued.  
"Oh, I saw plenty of that!" Torn crossed his arms.  
"And always, always keep him warm." The doctor finished, "His temperature is pretty high, any slip of cold air and he could suffer worse then a fever." And the doctor left after that. Daxter eyed Torn, who merely shrugged and left to go back to his duty.  
"He'll never admit he was wrong." Tess sighed, "That's how Torn is."

And thus, for a good week, Jak stayed in bed with Daxter and Tess constantly on his ever need. Jak manage to get at least 2 or 3 blankets on top of him, happily donated by a couple of Underground members who chose to sleep in their long overcoats for the time being.

……………………

"_Sick, are we?"  
"You again!"  
"Ahh, yes, the dark and obviously, better side."  
"GO AWAY!"  
"HA! Remember when you yelled at Daxter in Haven Forest? I almost came through!"  
"I didn't mean it when I yelled."  
"You didn't even apologize to him, fool. You are getting worse."  
"SHUT UP!"  
"Hahahahahahahehehehehehehehehe! This is SO much fun! I love torturing you!"  
"Damn it! I HATE you! I BLOODY hate you!"  
"That's right, keep saying it. Keep hating me. Hating can help me grow. Hate is a sign of darkness."  
"SHUT UP! Leave me alone!"  
"Hehehehehehehe. How delightful to watch you squeal."  
"Leave me alone."  
"Your thirst for revenge makes me strong and delightful."  
"I said…SHUT UP!"  
"Hahahahahehehehehehehe."  
"SHUT….UP! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

……………………

Jak's eyes were wide open. He was sweating. He gasped harshly, each breath a struggle.  
"Jak, are you okay?" Daxter asked.  
Jak groaned, clutching onto his stomach.  
"Jak?" Daxter grew worried, "Jak, you okay?"  
Jak still clutched onto his stomach, groaning.  
"JAK!" Daxter gasped. Jak ran off from his bed and quickly ran into the bathroom where he made the biggest vomit he (and everyone else for that matter) has ever heard. Everyone in the room where Jak slept woke up to hear Jak's vomiting,

……………………

**Underground HQ, The Slums**  
**Month 10: **_Octeria, Day 21 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

A week and a half passed before Jak could even walk without fainting or acting dizzy. He was able to eat on his own. He still had a bit of headache, but this was a tremendous sign that he was recovering, so much in fact that Jak was ready to fight the Baron. **  
**Now, he knew telling Torn would only piss him off. What he was about to do was absolutely foolish. So, Jak spoke with Vin quietly. **  
**"Well, ya better hurry; I got till tonight to take the power down." Vin gulped, "Suspicion is rising."**  
**"Don't worry." Jak commented, "Everyone sleeps at about 10, so I'll leave an hour later."**  
**"Hurry." Vin shook nervously, rubbing his hands together, trying to calm them from shaking so much. Jak nodded and Puar connected them off. Jak smiled, rubbing his forehead. It was still hurting, but he needed to do this. He wasn't going to wait another few months. He wanted his revenge NOW. Jak chuckled to himself. He was ready and not even a sickness could stop him. He chuckled so more.

"So, you really are going."  
Jak gasped and turned to see the Kid on the doorway.  
"Yea." Jak answered, almost feeling guilty. He wasn't sure why though.  
"I can't stop you…" The kid faced away from him.  
"No." Once again, the guilt rose.  
"Are you going to kill him?"  
"………………I don't know, maybe."  
"…………..."  
"Kid--"  
"Don't. You have to do what you have to do."  
"……………"  
"Please be careful." The child started to form tears in his eyes.  
"Kid, I…"  
"Do…what you have to do. Just be careful. You're still fully not healed and if you are not cautious, your darker self might take over."

Jak reminded silent.

The kid came closer to the taller blonde. Jak stood, frozen, wondering what he would do. The kid stopped when he was close to Jak, about a foot away from him. There, he just stood. Jak took this as his cue and bent down on his knees to the child's level. The child then wiped the tears of his face and offered Jak a smile.  
"Mr. Jak, I wish to give you something for your journey." The kid spoke softly, trying to maintain a smile.  
"Hmm?" Jak raised his eyebrows.  
The kid, closing his eyes, untied his necklace holding the beautiful orange symbol. The symbol of Mar. Jak continued to eye the kid as the orange pendent rested on the small child's hands. Then, the child broke the pendent in half. Jak gasped. The pendent was now split in two. Seeing as the pendent resembled a yin-yang, there were two swirly shaped pieces on each of the Kid's hands. The second pendent magically gained a necklace.  
"Mr. Jak, here." The kid offered one to Jak.  
"What?" Jak gasped, surprised on what the child did. He broke the pendent in two. What was even more surprising was how seamlessly it pulled apart. It was as if the pendent was originally two, but pulled together as one when the Kid wore it.  
"Take it." The kid urged.  
"No, I can't." Jak gasped, shaking his head.  
"You will need all the hope you can get, I am offering my half to you." The kid spoke.  
"Why? Why me?" Jak asked, "Out of ALL the people you have known…why me? Compare to the others, I'm the new kid of the block…still."  
"You are special…there is something about you. I do not know what just yet, but I feel as though I can greatly trust you." The kid still had his arm extended with the pendent he wished to offer, "I trust you, Mr. Jak. Please, this is my most prized possession…I care about this with all my heart, so you must see why I am giving this to you. Because I trust you."  
After a bit of pondering and staring, Jak silently took the other half, and wore it around his neck.  
"Thank you, your majesty." Jak bowed as he stood up. He hid the pendent inside his scarf so he wouldn't garner suspicion.  
"Be careful…and good luck." The Kid spoke.  
"I'll try." Jak nodded, "….As for your uncle…I can't promise anything."  
Jak left the room, leaving the little boy alone. Tears once again flowed from his eyes.  
"I know." The child replied.  
**To Be Continued…**


	10. The Innocence of Lurkers

**Jak II  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 10: The Innocence of Lurkers**

_Little Jak has healed progressively. His healing powers were something that he easily adapted to. Samos and I both researched and found out his healing skills are much faster then an average person. Unfortunately, as his aged, his powers seem to diminish. Samos told me it was fate. Naturally to better protect himself from dangerous exposure. He told me he would regain his powers back when the time came._

_I was thrilled (after the short initial shock) when Kiera and Daxter came to visit Jak when he was hurt from that Lurker. I left the room to let them talk privately, but an old man concerned for his nephew can't help but listen in the conversation._

"_I can't believe you did that, Jak." Kiera gasped, "That was…well…stupid."  
"Well, you going off in that cave was even more stupider." Daxter placed his hands on his waist.  
"Shut up, you stupid red head." Kiera growled, raising her fist with Daxter flinching from the mere sight of it, "We're here to thank Jak, you moron."  
"You don't have to thank me." Jak spoke softly.  
"Jak, you saved both our lives." Daxter gasped, "I'm not really sure WHAT you did, but you saved us."  
"I'm not quite sure what I did either." Jak responded, "My powers…they feel familiar, but I don't know it very well."  
"…Well, Jak…you saved us and…and I want to thank you…and…" Kiera stopped, cheeks blushing. This was going to be hard for her, "………I'm sorry."  
Jak smiled that innocent smile once more.  
"You don't have to be." Jak answered, softly, once again.  
"Why are you always so nice to me?" Kiera asked, her voice breaking down from guilt, "I always made fun of you and beat you up, but you're always nice to me."  
"I am because this is who I am, Kiera." Jak answered, "I believe everyone is good inside."  
"Even the Lurkers?" Daxter scoffed.  
"Yes, even them." Jak nodded slowly.  
"You're different, Jak." Daxter sighed, scratching his head.  
"I know." Jak smiled, "But then again, we all are. We each have our own dreams, our own hopes, and our own destiny."  
"Yea…." Kiera and Daxter nodded.  
"Jak, are you still my friend?" Daxter asked, "After all, I nearly sent you on to your doom when we went down the cave."  
"Yes, Daxter, of course." Jak nodded.  
"Good." Daxter smiled, "I'm sorry, too for dragging you down there." Jak just smiled.  
"…Can I be your friend, too?" Kiera asked shyly. Jak nodded. Kiera smiled and regained her confidence again.  
"Well, that settles it!" Kiera raised her hand, "You have inspired me, Jak! From now on, I will only use my beating up skills to help out the little guys! No more picking on people! No more bullying! The three of us can be the ultimate best friend pack. We'll go around helping people…"  
"…and have fun at the same time…" Daxter continued.  
"…With new adventures waiting for us." Jak finished in his still soft voice. The three were officially friends. They each placed their hand on top of each other, giggling and smiling…_

………………

**Main City Area, Haven City**  
**Month 10: **_Octeria, Day 21 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

It was a light rain as the trio left for Baron Praxis' palace. Jak wrapped his overcoat around him to keep as much warmth as possible. Daxter, with only a white scarf around his neck, only causally stared at the scenery. The sky was dark and cloudy as it was over 10 PM. The lights were on and people still walked aimlessly, like drone robots. It's like the city placed them under a spell. It's like they had nothing better to do then walk. After all, they can't just simple walk out of the city. Restrictions, rules, and Metal Heads all kept them inside.  
Jak walked in the opposite directions compare to most of the people passing by, keeping as much low profile as he could. After some more aimless walking, Jak saw a scene that would change his opinions on a certain species he wasn't all that aware of…

"IT'S ESCAPING!"  
"GET IT!"  
"SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT!"

**BAM!**

"HA! HA! Right on the arm!"

Jak stood frozen as he saw this entire scene. Daxter and Puar looked unfazed, however. The creature they shot landed smack on his stomach, his face just inches away from Jak's feet. With magenta colored fur and maximum size of nearly 9 feet or so, shackles on his wrists and ankles, a metal slave collar, and with a bleeding right arm, Jak saw a Lurker. He stood silent. Three men and a Krimzon Guard approach the beast.  
"Trying to escape me, eh?" cried one of the man, "What kind of a slave are you?" The man promptly kicked him.  
"Dirty, filthily animal!" cried the second man, "Stupid bastard of a creature!"  
"You're only job is to serve and you try to run off, you ruddy piece of carpet!" the third man spoke. He, too kicked the creature. Again, Jak stood silent. His face was more then enough to know that this was a horrid sight. This creature, this creature he battled back home where they roamed free in the wild ended up being lowly slaves to the people of Haven City. People surrounding him looked on with interest, not because of the treatment the Lurker was getting, but because they were causing a scene. After a while, the people ignored the whole dilemma and moved on. Jak felt a sense of guilt and sorrow, and to a certain extent, shock. His revenge briefly left him.

"Stand back, I'm gonna shoot it." The Krimzon Guard came, getting his gun ready.

The Lurker's big, glassy, yellow eyes stared right back at Jak's glowing blue ones. The creature was asking for mercy, yet at the same time, he was prepared to die. He paid the price for being risky, to escape, to be free. Now, he would die.  
"Things are never simple in Haven City, you bloody beast." The KG spoke, "We are simply subjects under the rule of Praxis and you are lowly servants to do our every command…fail and you die." The gun was aimed at the Lurker's head. The Lurker growled a little and he was promptly kicked by the Krimzon Guard. Then the KG's boots dug deep into the Lurker's fur, so deep that he started to bleed on the neck where the boot was sticking up to. Then, he kicked him some more.

"Jak, let's get outta here." Daxter yawned while speaking in a slightly whiny tone. He was used to seeing Lurker abuse.  
"Daxter…what's going on?" Jak spoke.  
"The Lurkers are Haven City's slave hold." Puar explained, "They live to serve us. They don't, they die, simple as that. Hardly any Lurkers ever escape. There's nothing we can do. It's the Baron's rules."  
"But look what's happening to him!" Jak shouted, "Someone stop him!" He saw the people just pass by, ignoring all this, "You bloody bastards, a Lurker is hurt!" They kept walking.  
"Jak, why do we care?" Daxter shouted, "What did they ever do to us? Nothing but trouble!"  
The kicking continued. Each boot to his head lead out a small growl from the Lurker. Then, the KG aimed his gun once again to the Lurker.  
"DAMN IT!" Jak ran up and tackled the guard down, "STOP THAT, you bastard!" Then Jak started to punch the Krimzon Guard.  
"How do you like that?" Jak cried, "How do you like to be beaten up? How do YOU like to be tortured? HUH! Does it make you feel big? DOES IT?"  
"Jak!" Daxter gulped, "You're making a scene."

The Lurker, surprised, slowly rose up, his arm and neck still wet and sticky from the blood, and his head still pounding.  
"RUN!" Jak ordered the Lurker as he continued to pummel the KG. A crowd was gathering around with cheers and shouts.  
Jak, too got his share of injuries as the Krimzon Guard lend his fists into battle.  
The Lurker just stood there, impressed that one of these elf-like species was actually standing up for his kind. Jak continued to beat up the KG while Daxter and Puar looked on in horror and shock. The Lurker, never one to trust precursians after what they did to his fellow Lurker brothers, just watched while his left arm held the blood on his right. Something sparked inside of him. The Lurker felt something burning inside of him. A renewed sense of pride and courage. He, despite his injuries, ran into the fight, grabbed Jak, then Daxter and Puar, leaped over the crowd (Lurkers have been known to be great leapers), and ran (also great sprinters).  
"Krimzon Squad 29! We have a slave on the loose! It's heading for section 5. I repeat, section 5!" The guard spoke to his communicator.

Jak was shocked. The Lurker just picked him up and was now being carried by the fuzzy beast. He ran off in the opposite direction of where Jak didn't wanted to go. Jak didn't say anything though. He couldn't think straight at the moment. Each step the Lurker took affected Jak's forehead as a headache was starting to build up again. Jak remembered he wasn't fully healed yet from his fever. After a bit of running, the Lurker hid and waited until everything cooled down. They were in a dark alley.

"Are yous okay?" The Lurker asked Jak.  
"I should be asking you that." Jak gasped.  
"It looked like yous was going to throw up." The Lurker came in, "I is sorry for running so hard like that."  
"It's okay." Jak sighed, "Are you okay? Your arm…neck…"  
"I is fine…" The Lurker then proceeded to block the blood in his arm.  
"Here, let me help." Jak was back to his more calmer side again. Daxter and Puar watched as Jak took out some gauzes and bandages from his small bag. He also took out some medicine spray. After spraying some on his arm and neck, Jak wrapped the bandages around the Lurker. It took a good 5 minutes or so, but the bandages were in place and everything was slightly better.  
"Thank yous." The Lurker sighed, "This feels better. Yous good at first aid."  
"Leading Junior Ottsels back when I was 10." Jak grinned. The two were in brief silent before the young blonde spoke.  
"I'm Jak." Jak introduced, "This is my friend, Daxter, and Puar." The two waved. The Lurker smiled.  
"I is called Kami." The Lurker introduced.  
"Kami…" Jak repeated, "Uh…Kami?"  
"Yes?"  
"Why are the Lurkers slaves?"  
"Is your head been under rock?"  
"You could say that."  
"Lurkers been slave since Baron ruled Haven Kingdom. Baron sees us as worthless, so Baron made us slaves. Baron sees Lurkers as only low-smart creatures who's only goal is to serve "highest being", which is Baron's people."  
"Where I come from, Lurkers were everywhere." Jak sighed.  
"Yea, and they made a mess out of everything." Daxter sighed, "Especially since they worked for Gol and Maia, remember that?"  
"We Lurkers worked for Gol and Maia because we had, too. We had to survive, so we worked for them."  
"Had to?" Jak was intrigued.  
"We Lurkers were once allies and friends with your kind, Jak." Kami continued, "We shared foods, lands, anything. Then yous species got greedy and stole from us Lurkers. We grow poor and end up living in caves because of yous. Deep lava filled caves. It was only place where your kind did not tamper with. Good thing we can survive such heat."  
"Now I know you're lying!" Daxter cried out.  
"I is not lying!" Kami hissed, "I is not lying at all! I is speaking the truth!"  
"Go on." Jak sat on a wet crate that was missing a few pieces of wood here and there and suffered a few splinters, but was otherwise a decent sitting arrangement.  
"We no liked the caves, but we adapted to it. But everyday, we all die, little by little." Kami continued, "Lack of food and yous kinds already everywhere and always fighting back with your more advance technology kept us in our caves. Then one day, we Lurkers were saved by two of yours kind. They were different in looks as their skins were very dark. They told us Lurkers that they will bring our homes and lands to us. We no believe them at first, but they made proof by destroying a village full of people like yous. Rock Village. We Lurker males joined and made army and called help from other Lurker brothers to help fight cause. It was only way to survive, even if we did dirty, bad things."

Jak, Daxter, and Puar all stared at each other.

"Once Gol and Maia all gone, we Lurkers continued to survive as best as we coulds." Kami sniffed back a tear, "The good news is we learn to better adapt in caves and find food better. Bad news is, it little too late as many of our kind has died. Right now…they is only 2000 of us left!"  
"2000..." Jak gasped, "…That's not a lot."  
"Yes, especially since this city alone has over 25,000 of precursians alone with more outside of city limits and possibly more outside of Haven Kingdom." Puar sighed.  
"Now what?" Daxter asked, "Do we leave him alone or help him?"  
"I must find a sewer hole." Kami started, "I is escape there and go home where I is belonging." Jak stared down at the small puddle, showing his reflection, apparently pondering.  
"Please, will you not help me?" Kami gasped, "I is needing to go home! I have wife and sons and daughters! I miss them!"  
"You got kids?" Daxter cocked his head. Kami nodded. Daxter scratched his head. "Huh…who'd have thunk?" Jak still had his head lowered, silent.  
"None of this would have happen if yous kinds had shared lands with us…or maybe if…Gol and Maia did not die." Everyone was silent, waiting for Jak to say something. Jak still had his head lowered down as guilt struck him again. He was responsible for Gol and Maia's supposed death. If he did not killed them, the Lurkers might have prospered. Because of his people's greed, the Lurkers, creatures as innocent as Jak once was, would have survived. They would have thrived. Jak sighed and sniffed his nose a bit. He had the Baron to capture, but the good inside of him refused to let the Kami wander alone.

"Jak, are you crying?" Daxter asked with concern. Jak shook his head.  
"No, I just have a runny nose." Jak answered as he lifted his head off, "I was just thinking."  
"Jak, you're sickness." Daxter sighed. Jak nodded and stood up. He now had a determined face.  
"Okay, I have an idea." Jak confidently spoke, "Kami…let's go find a sewer hole and send you back home."  
"What, now?" Daxter cried out, "You ARE aware you got less then an hour to find one! Vin closes the elevator at exactly midnight!"  
"I know." Jak nodded, "But Kami needs protection."  
"There are other Lurkers who need protection, too, ya know!" Daxter cried out.  
"One saved is better then none." Jak answered, "Besides, I feel like…like I have to make up for what I did."  
"What you do?" Kami asked. Jak stood silent and shook his head.  
"Nothing, let's go." Jak gestured, "We have to find the nearest hole…which is where?"  
"Right in the same direction on our way to the palace." Puar answered as she displayed her map, "It's quite a walk, but if nothing bad happens, we can make it to that sewer hole and reach the elevator in record time, master Jak."  
"Good, let's go." Jak nodded, "Until then, Kami, pretend you're my slave."  
"OH!" Kami sniffed, "You is wonderful, Jak!" Then Kami proceeded to give him a giant bear hug.  
"No…problem." Jak choked.

……………………

Daxter stuck his head out and looked left and right.  
"Coast is clear!" Daxter okay-ed.  
"Right, let's go." Jak ordered. The four left the alley. Daxter once again hid in Jak's bag to lessen Jak's target and suspicion from the Krimzon Guards. Jak kept his red hood over his mouth and nose as well and placed his hood (attached to his leather overcoat) over for better disguise. He then came out with a rope in his hand, tied to the collar around Kami's neck, like a real slave. Puar hovered close by.  
The two walked while the rest was in one in Jak's bag and the other was hovering, while people passing them by like nothing matters. This was common appearance as far as anyone was concerned. Jak had noticed many Lurkers with leashes that people dragged and carried. Despite their dirty appearance, he never truly realized that Lurkers were in such a distress situation until now. Jak and the others also saw several other Lurkers, some of whom Kami knew. Kami, with a sad expression in his eyes felt guilty. He would be the possible one to escape while the others were left to rot. Kami sighed in sadness, but he could not back down now. They continued.

……………………

"And you haven't heard from him since?" Vin cried out, panicking in true Vin fashion.  
"Please, Sir Vin, calm down." The kid spoke, "I have not heard from Mr. Jak in a while." The two were speaking via COMPS. Vin had his own while the Kid borrowed one from an Underground member.  
"Oh, by the Precursors!" Vin clenched his teeth, "I can't wait till Midnight, I'm so tempt to shut this down!"  
"Please, Sir Vin, don't be tempted!" The kid ordered, "Mr. Jak is doing what he thinks is right."  
"You're supporting someone you barely even know!" Vin cried out, "I barely even know him! He tends to keep to himself a lot."  
"I know him a lot more then most people would think, Sir Vin." The Kid sighed, "He is certainly a different person…I have a feeling he will help us greatly in our fight for the kingdom. He feels different."  
"That's what you said about with Kor." Vin sighed.  
"Yes, but with Sir Kor, it feels…bad (not to say anything bad on Sir Kor, oh-no, not at all)…with Mr. Jak…it feels…it feels like…hope." The kid answered, "Hope…I have never felt it since the time of that faithful attack 3 years ago…the time my parents died…but ever since Mr. Jak came, I felt…happy." Vin sighed deeply, not doing a great job convincing the child to listen to him.  
"There is something about him that I cannot place a finger, but I do have some theories on who he might be." The kid grinned cleverly. He noticed Van's stressed appearance, "Hang on a bit longer, as much as you can."  
"What is so special about that boy?" Vin sighed as he sat on a chair.  
"Well, from one Precursor expert to another, I believe Mr. Jak inherits powers…magical powers beyond anything a mere mortal could possess."  
"…Like you?" Vin gasped.  
"Yes…I can sense them." The kid raised his head, "His powers are constantly growing. The first time I met him, I felt barely anything. He had virtually no magic, but as time grew and months passed, his magical level has grown dramatically. It's like he used to possess such powers, lost it sometime during his life, and now…is slowly regaining them."  
"Well, I've been hearing a lot of him turning into a dark monster and…" Vin started.  
"No…this feeling is one of good…pure light even." The kid kept his stern face, "No one else can have such powers. Only the first born royal family members."  
"But that's impossible, you're the current first born, heck, the only child." Vin spoke, "How can Jak possess the same powers as you?"  
"…I do not know." The kid answered, "I will find out. Until then, I trust in him completely."  
"Hey, where's your other half?" Vin just now noticed that The Kid's pendent was split in two.  
"I gave one half to Mr. Jak." The kid answered, "His powers are the same as mines…he will be able to use it…he won't be able to control it so well, but in time and if my theory holds true, he will. I trust him…"

…………………

"I see it!" Puar shouted out loud.  
"PUAR!" Jak placed a finger to his lips, "Shush!" Puar squeaked and apologized. The sewer hole was seen from a few feet, they were almost there. Kami literally burst into tears.  
"Oh, Jak, thank yous." Kami whispered, "I shall tell all my Lurker buddies of what yous did to me." Jak nodded nervously.  
"Okay, we're almost there." Jak spoke, "If any Krimzon Guards start suspecting us, I want you to run for the hole like mad. I'll keep them at bay."  
"But yous might get hurt!" Kami gasped "Yous come with me!"  
"I belong here, Kami." Jak sighed, "Just be careful of the Metal Heads when you reached down there. Okay?"  
"Metal Heads no problem for Kami!" Kami grinned, showing off his large teeth and fangs, "Lurkers are strong survivors and fighters!" Jak cleared his throat.  
"Ya know, you think those Lurkers would be so smart to actually invade the palace from the sewers." Daxter sighed, "Would have conquered the city in due time."  
"Oh, give the Precursians some credit." Puar giggled, "Sewer holes are tightly shut and only opened with official permission. The one we're going in is currently unlocked, but it'll close soon, so we better hurry!"

So close, the sewer hole was so close, then something from Kami's slave collar beeped red.

"Hey, you!" The four turned around and saw a Krimzon Guard heading their way, "FREEZE!"  
"Shit!" Jak cried, "RUN!" Jak quickly took out his red gun, the Scatter and started to shoot. More guards came as the citizens ran in fear. The Krizmon Guards were hard to take down; due to their massively huge armor, made up of the best titanium money can buy.  
"How the bloody hell did they find us?" Jak cried.  
"It my fault, I wear collar that has tracking device the soldiers use to track runaway Lurkers!" Kami answered as they ran, "I is forgotten about it!"  
Jak groaned and continued to shoot as best as he could. If he ran out of bullets, he placed in more. If he ran out, he switched guns. It got to the point where he had to stop and shoot to better aim them. He kept blasting them away as best as he could. Kami just stood there, once again, surprised at Jak's sacrifice to save him.  
"KAMI, STOP STARING AT ME, RUN!" Jak shouted. Kami stood still.  
"BLOODY HELL, RUN!" Jak shouted again.  
"You better do as he says; he can't hold them for very long!" Daxter shouted.  
Kami, nodded, and ran straight for the sewer.  
"STOP HIM!" The guards cried out.

Several guards from random places in the city started to shoot at Kami. Kami, feeling confident and inspired by Jak, dodged the bullets. The other guards tried to tackle him down, but Kami leaped or slid out of the way. He ran as much as his skinny legs could carry him. He was so close. The guards shouted for the Lurker to be shot dead.  
"KILL HIM!" Kami dived in and into the sewer hole he went.  
"YES!" Jak grinned. After a few more shootings, Jak ran off in an acrobatic sense. He back flipped up a small building and started to runaway as guards started to shoot him. The other half of the guards entered the sewer, but found no trace of Kami. They didn't bother to stick around so long; sewers were common breeding grounds for Lurkers.  
"GET HIM!" They shouted. Jak, laughing in a mischievous manner, dodged the bullets easily and ran off.

"It's almost Midnight, Master Jak!" Puar warned.  
Jak nodded and went straight for the elevator. The guards have lost him, but this was no time for him to stop as he was running out of time.  
"There, there's the elevator!" Puar shouted, "That long tower!" Jak ran and leaped as the tower door opened. He was inside.  
"I did it!" Jak gasped. He was surprised again when he felt a rumble. The elevator was moving…and quite fast, too. Jak clutched onto whatever he could until they reached the top, which they did in mere seconds.  
"Whoa." Jak gasped, clutching onto his stomach, "Ooh, that didn't feel good."  
"Jak…are you sure you can do this?" Daxter asked.  
"I'll be fine." The trio exited out of the door and saw themselves at the very top. The entire city was below and at their view.  
"Holy-" Jak gasped. Daxter, gulping, went closer to the edge, screamed, then climbed up Jak's shoulder.  
"We're at…the VERY TOP!" Daxter squeaked, "VERY, VERY TOP!" Daxter then eyed the narow walkway they had to pass.  
"Oh…we're gonna cross that?" Daxter gasped.  
"We have no choice." Jak sighed, "Come on."

As Jak took his first step, a cry came out for his name.  
"JAK!" Puar sent a holographic image of Vin.  
"VIN? Are you TRYING to make me fall?" Jak cried, clutching his chest from the slight surprise he got.  
"Sorry…errr…ahem…the elevator is officially closed, it's midnight. I cannot open it up again. You have to find a way down on your own." Vin instructed.  
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Jak winked.  
"You better survive!" Vin's shaky voice came, "That kid trusted you with his most important item!" Jak gasped and took out his half of the pendent the kid gave him and was relieved to see it still around his neck. Jak held it tightly.  
"Despite what you're doing, the kid trusts you." Vin sighed, "You better not fail him!"  
"I won't." Jak said sincerely.  
"Okay….good luck." Vin ended with his usual scared tone.

With that phone call over, Jak eyed the narrow walkway and sighed. Daxter on his shoulder, Puar closely following him, a gentle rain over his head, Jak, adjusting his overcoat, and placing the hood again over his head, stared to walk to his destination. He had many things on his mind: His home, his revenge, his dark side, the child, but for right now, he wondered…if Kami would be safe…  
**To Be Continued…**


	11. Haven Palace

**Jak II:  
ACT 1: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 11: Haven Palace**

_Jak has had many dreams before like any other normal person. The most interesting ones, so he says, he would share with me. One, in particular caught the interest of Samos. Jak and I were visiting him one day. We visit quite frequently, if not for Jak and his role in life. Jak and Kiera would play in Kiera's room…well, now. Before Kiera and Jak were friends, little Jak would usually been covered in bruises or she would stay as faraway as she could from Jak. Now, it felt surreal, yet happy, with the two playing together. Any who, back to that particular dream._

_"Kiera, you ever had a dream that felt…well…real?" Jak asked. Samos and I could hear them as we were only in the next room. We were having tea. Samos told me my teas were simply the best, so he decided to learn himself. Needless to say, his first time…wasn't exactly the best.  
"Not really...sorta." Kiera shook her head, "….Sometimes…I dream I'm with my parents. How much I love and miss them. We'd play together and go on picnics and go to the beach…I guess…I dream about them so much that maybe it does feel real sometimes. I'm not saying Samos is bad, it's just…I don't know if I'll ever call him "daddy. It's so hard. I miss mom and dad."  
"…Regardless of that, Mr. Samos is doing a great job with you." Jak smiled, "Someday, you'll call him "daddy."  
"….Yea, he's fine." Kiera sighed, unbelieving in Jak's word._

_Samos listened with a batch of mixed feelings in his face. Sorrow that Kiera has yet to call him "father", let alone, "daddy", but happy that at least she appreciates him. I gave him a pat on the shoulder._

"_I know she'll call me "daddy' or "father" or such and such." Samos would say, "I have seen it. Although I still cannot believe that Daxter was a precursian before."  
"Was?"  
"It's a long story…" Samos placed a hand to his cheek as he rested his elbow on the table.  
"Why do you ask?" Kiera asked.  
"Because…I had a dream that felt…so real…it's like I was there." Jak sighed, staring at the ceiling, "It was…beautiful."  
"What was the dream about?" Kiera asked with fascination in her eyes.  
"I was in a palace, the most elegant palace I've ever seen, but then again, it might have been the only one I've seen, even if it was a dream." Jak started, "I saw people in beautiful outfits. The men had on colorful overcoats. Ascots scarves graced their necks and they had pocket watches inside their jacket. They had pants that reached down to just below their knees. The rest are covered in white socks and black shoes. Nice shoes, too."  
"Wow." Kiera gasped.  
"The women had on exotic dresses of different color and fashion. Some were sleeveless, some were loose, others were tight. Their hairs were tied in impossible fashions only a woman could pull off. Even the children were beautiful. A lot of their faces were white."  
"White, why?" Kiera asked.  
"Fashion of the rich, Kiera. Fashion of the rich. It's white powder." Jak smiled, "After we see the people, there are two others sitting on thrones. A king and his queen. There are two guards next to them, donned in red armor. They looked scary, yet you felt a sense of secure when they were around. The Queen was possibly the most beautiful lady I have ever seen. Lavender hair up and tied in a giant bun. Green eyes that sparkle whenever the light touches it. She wore a lovely lavender dress, too. The King had brown hair with bang and his face, well, it was shaggy. He had the shaggiest beard ever, yet he retained his elegance. He wore a lot of blue, but he had on a red cape, a rather long red cape. The most interesting feature was an orange pendent around his neck…it felt…magically."  
"Wow, and you dreamt all this?" Kiera gasped. Jak nodded.  
"There was anther brown haired man with a brown beard there, too. He was sulking in the corner for some reason. His reasons and intentions seemed…evil. Misplaced, unknown…mysterious. He was planning something, but I don't know what. He was talking to someone…then the next thing I knew, the beautiful, elegant party…it turned into a disaster…"  
"…What happen?" Kiera asked.  
"…Creatures…monsters came…most of them were blue. They came in all sizes, but all of them had a golden gem on their head…they attacked the palace…and then…I woke up." Jak ended his story.  
"Wow." Kiera gasped, shocked at the terrible nightmare.  
"It was weird…I truly felt like I was there." Jak spoke, "…I felt the people speaking and laughing, I felt the King and Queen holding me tight…like they were my parents…and I felt the pain and devastation of the metal heads."  
"….Oh…well, I don't know what "devastation" means, but maybe you dreamt of your mom and dad." Kiera answered, "I heard kids like us dream of our parents or our ideal parents when we don't have any."  
"I…suppose." Jak sighed._

_I looked at Samos who gave the palest face I've ever seen him with.  
I took Jak home and put him to bed, then spoke with Samos outside, who was staring at the night sky.  
"Samos…" I started.  
"He's remembering…" Samos sighed, "…Slowly, but surely, he is."  
I just stared at him._

………………

**Haven Palace Tower Support**  
**Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 1 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

As the raindrops got heavier and more frequent, Jak tighten his grip on his overcoat, groaning in frustration. The high tower balcony leading to the Haven palace was filled with weapons responded to shot when someone nears, giant blades touched with electric shocks, and floors that fell upon contact, among others. It was obviously the palace was heavily secured incase a murdered or any form of criminal made their way to the palace walls. This easily garnered a frustrating tone from Jak. Daxter didn't help any.

"WHOA! We gotta cross all that!" He squeaked, "Uhh…ya know what Jak? I think I'll just stay here. You go ahead, I'll wait up."  
Jak promptly grabbed Daxter harshly and place him on his shoulder.  
"Oh, fine!" He cried out, "But I'm keeping my eyes close until we're across."  
"Fine, whatever." Jak muttered, a bit annoyed as he started the trek across. Each of the obstacles would have been generally easy for the agile Jak, but the fact that he was still a bit sick, and thusly dizzy, and that some of the traps were unpredictable didn't elevate Jak's spirit. Daxter only helped further the annoyance.**  
**"Are we there yet?" He asked. The little Ottsel had his eyes close in fear.**  
**"No." Was Jak's response.**  
**"Are we there yet?"**  
**"No."**  
**"Are we there yet?"**  
**"No"**  
**"Are we there yet?"**  
**"No."**  
**"Are we there yet?"**  
**"No."**  
**"Are we there yet?"**  
**"NO!"**  
**"….Are we there-"**  
**"DAXTER, I'LL TELL YOU WHEN WE'RE THERE!" Daxter was quiet afterwards. The trio continued their journey across. The three were miserable, tired, hungry, and wet, of course. It took a nice hour or so to walk across (running would not be a good idea, especially in the rain), until they reached the top surface of the palace. Like almost every part of the city, the top surface was gray and dull.

"Gosh, the Baron sure loves to keep his place all happy." Daxter sarcastically replied.

Jak observed the surroundings around him. Gray….gray…gray…everything was nothing but gray. Jak was more then relieved when he saw several gardens. He also noticed the very middle of the city which, on the very top held a beautiful dragon statue. With wings that spread massively and its mouth wide open, ready to attack, it was like it was protecting the palace from invaders. Heh. The dragon was surrounding a pointy pole which went further up from the dragon and housed the Baron's signature flag. Among others, there were numerous windows and high towers. Most of the lights inside the palace were off, making it seem abandoned. There was a large area where several winged vehicles stood proudly, fences upon fences, and most importantly, several Krimzon Guards patrolling the area. The rain didn't help matters.

"We need to get inside or we'll freeze." Jak shivered, white smokes coming out of his mouth.  
"Where?" Daxter groaned, "I don't see a friggin' door anywhere!"  
"Puar…" Jak stared at the small COMP.  
"On it!" And Puar went on to search for a map of the palace. Jak sighed as he sat down on a random metal surface of the palace, with hope no Krimzon Guard would venture their way. While Jak merely stared at the cloudy sky, Daxter searched around the palace; a large glass roof caught his eyes. Daxter moved over to it, looked down and gasped. Jak, seeing his ottsel buddy, went over as well. He, too gasped. Down below them was the view to the main throne room. Normally empty at this time, it was now inhabited by Baron Praxis and Erol. They were talking to a giant hologram…a face all too familiar to Jak. Puar, too, came to look over as well.

"I've told you, I'll have more eco by week's end. We'll transport it directly to your nest, as promised!" The trio heard the Baron speak.  
"A deal is of no value if you can't deliver, my dear Baron." The giant, clear colored hologram spoke, and then he got angrier, "I grew impatient with your puny gestures. Give me the agreed upon eco soon, or the deal is off, and your precious city will pay the price!" The hologram disappeared afterwards. Erol, watching far more closely then Praxis, raised his fist up and growled.  
"He's toying with us! Let me lead an assault on the Nest before it's too late! I can take him!" The Baron could see the anxiousness in the young soldier's topaz eyes, but he shook his head.  
"Patience, commander. No one has ever penetrated the Metal Head Nest. You know that! I've seen what comes of such foolish plans." Praxis placed a hand on his forehead as if he suffered the worse headache in his life, though one might wonder if he has with all that has been going around. Erol watched the old man as he walked over to the giant glass pane. The rain covered every speck of it. Praxis placed a hand on it and stared at the gloomy city before him. He closed his eyes for a good few seconds, pondering, and then opened them.  
"No! Strength is their weakness... We play helpless... We train them to eat from our hands, and then...Praxis remained silent for a few seconds, "Move forward with the plan! Tell Ashelin to up her patrols. I want that Tomb found!"  
"But your daughter has not been... agreeable." Erol bowed, "I've been hearing rumors that she works for the Underground."  
Praxis remained silent, as if two things could occur form this: he either thought of the possibility of his daughter doing such a thing or that he already knew that Ashelin is in the underground.  
"Why do you not arrest her?" Erol gasped, "I can do it for you!"  
"No." Praxis shook his head, "Ashelin is a good girl. Whether she may be working on the wrong side or not, she loves her daddy very much. You of all people should know that. A few good manipulation and reverse psychology and she'll be on my side. She's strong, but her mind is weak when I am with her. She loves me too much." Praxis laughed evilly, "She'll return back in my arms…like she did back when she was my little flower…just like her mother…" Jak gasped, stunned at what he heard.  
"Ashelin is the Baron's daughter?" Jak grew pale. Is what Praxis said true? And if so, can she really be manipulated? Ashelin, despite their short meetings here and there, never seemed the type.  
"….." Erol's face was down. He seemed…upset, almost looking like he would cry. Jak was perplexed by Erol's sadden look. Was he sad that he wouldn't be able to punish her?  
"….You favor her so much." Erol spoke softly, "…She rebels against you…yet you love her…so much. She was…always the favorite in your family. I work hard for you…you know."

Praxis turned and faced Erol. The big, armor cladd-ed man came to the small, scrawny young man.

"I don't care if it is public or private, but NEVER talk off the family that way!" Praxis hissed, grabbing onto Erol's sleeve "You poor excuse of a…sigh…You're only 21...you're young and naïve…though I wonder WHEN you will ever learn to grow up and get your act together! Stop holding so much grudge that isn't of importance. "  
"I…" Erol gasped in shock.  
"And find that child! If you'd spend half as much time looking for that little brat as you spend flirting with that mechanic girl, we would have pinned his royal ass to a wall long ago." Praxis shouted, "That child is IMPORTANT! He is the key!"  
"I know." Erol shouted in a frustrated matter, having heard Praxis speak of this numerous times.  
"That child is the cause of all this." Praxis sighed, "If he was never born, my life would have been a lot easier."  
"…Why don't you just kill him!" Erol shouted, rather regrettably for some odd reason.  
"He's the KEY!" Praxis screeched, "He's my ticket to world domination and the end of the Metal Heads. The child has a gift that no other members of the royal family possess. Once the child has done his deed, I will try and obtain that raw power."  
"Power?" Daxter gasped, "Is he talking about the kid's magical abilities?"  
"I…don't know." Jak spoke, obsessed at the scene unfolding before him. Afterwards, Daxter starting to sniff his nose. A sneeze was coming.  
"Well, don't stand there, twiddling your thumb, you skinny little ass, get moving!" Praxis shouted, "Fail and it's ANOTHER beating from me!"  
"As you wish. With enough persuasion, I'm sure our spy will…" Erol nodded, regaining his eerie confidence back. Before he could finish any further, Daxter's sneeze came through, his snot landing on the glass pane.  
"What was that!" Erol took out his gun. By the time he faced the ceiling glass pane, Jak had hidden nearby, holding Daxter's mouth with his hand. He glared at Daxter who smiled through muffled hands. Erol placed his gun back in his holster, bowed at Praxis, and left. The Baron stared out the night sky a bit longer. Jak, sighing, left the glass pane.

He walked for a while, the rain pouring heavily. Everything was silent except for the raindrops.  
"DING! DING! DING!" Puar shouted, "I found the nearest entrance!" Jak and Daxter both screamed.  
"QUIET!" Daxter shouted, "You're trying to get us killed?"  
"Both of you, hush!" Jak whispered loudly, "Puar, QUIETLY tell us where the nearest entrance is."  
"Just north of here, follow me!" Puar spoke, rather loudly to boot. Jak groaned.  
The two weren't aware that the nearest entrance was long way to walk.  
"I can't believe Ashelin is his daughter!" Daxter gasped, "…She definitely must have gotten her looks from her mother. Praxis is a horrible father."  
"But he still loves her." Puar spoke softly (surprise, surprise), "He's just corrupted."  
"How?" Jak asked, "How did he become corrupt?"  
"I don't know." Puar sighed, "That's not stored in my memory bank. I used to have it, but I believe Praxis might have taken that memory data out as well as anything I have recorded that involved him before I escaped with Torn 3 years back."  
"You lived in the palace, too?" Daxter asked.  
"Yes." Puar nodded, "I may be with Torn a lot, but I belong to the royal family. I have the most intelligence and memory data out of all the COMPS; it's any I belong with the royal family."  
"And you have emotions. Other COMPS don't see to have that." Jak observed.  
"I love having emotions." Puar nodded her head, "I love to be able to feel. Sure, some feelings hurt, but it's better then feeling nothing!"  
"So, who built you?" Jak asked.  
"I am not liberate to say." Puar answered, "I was a gift to the royal family, specifically Prince Christof. A friend when needed the most during his lonely times."  
"Ooh! Ooh! I bet it was Vin. I mean, he's a super smart guy." Daxter said.  
"I am not liberate to say." Puar giggled. Daxter sighed, knowing both he and Jak wouldn't get a straight answer,  
"Once we get in the palace, we'll try to find your memory data files." Jak promised, "…Uhh…what do they look like?"  
"I'll know when I see them." Puar giggled, "We're almost there." Daxter and Jak grinned, then Jak collapsed a bit. He managed to bump into a wall before he could fall all the way down.  
"Jak, you okay?" Daxter gasped.  
"Yea." Jak groaned, touching his forehead, "I just tripped."  
"Tripped." Daxter didn't buy it, "We have to hurry this up, Jak's fever is returning." Jak sighed.  
"I TOLD you to wait until you were fully healed!" Daxter groaned, "You weren't this stubborn back in Sandover."  
"Times change." Jak sighed. He got up and shook his head a little before moving on.  
"Jak…" Daxter and Puar hesitantly watched as the young blonde rashly went forwards. Daxter, despite his outer appearance, his inner appearance was hurting deep inside. Jak was no longer that sweet boy with a pure heart. Jak was this…this…different person with his body. It hurt Daxter. He didn't wanted this Jak, he wanted Sandover Jak. The Jak who would playfully urge the reluctant Daxter to explore dangerous locations for adventure and explorer's purpose, the same Jak who would quietly go fruit picking up trees, the same Jak who didn't care about revenge at all. That Jak tried to find the good in everyone and always gave them a second chance. Where did he go? And more importantly…will he come back?

"SO, we have a rat up out walls?" Daxter gasped, loosing his train of thought as he, Puar, and Jak were now face-to-face with Baron Praxis. Praxis was donned inside a small red egg-shaped machine powered by a jet pack and designed with multiple tentacles which hung on its bottom.  
"Wha-how?" Daxter cried out.  
"Security Cameras COMPS, surrounds the palace at all time." Praxis grinned.  
"What? I didn't see any-" Jak scoffed.  
"They're designed to turn invisible and camouflage with their surroundings, my dear boy." Praxis grinned.  
"Oh, yea, I forgot about the security cameras." Puar spoke. Jak and Daxter glared at her, "…Sorry."  
"Your kind is NOT allowed to step even a foot near this palace!" Praxis hissed, "You got your filth all over it now!"  
"Okay, who votes to run?" Daxter and Puar (her robotic hand stored inside her) quickly raced their hands and was about to run off if not for Jak. Jak stood perfectly still, his face now a full frown. All the painful memories came back…

_**"Don't worry, this won't hurt…much. Okay, give him his dose."**_

_"Ah….ah…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

**_"Does that hurt, child? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!  
"He should have showed some signs by now…try putting in some more."  
"Is this torture device on properly?"  
"This pathetic scrawny boy…"  
"I don't care if this kills him, keep giving him Dark Eco! I won't FAIL! NOT this time!"  
"I shock and probe you and you STILL show nothing! I should kill you right on the spot!"_**

_"…Un-Uncle…"_

_**"Awwwwww, you miss your family? HA! Where you are in, escaping is impossible."**_

_"PLEASE! STOP IT! NO MORE! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I just wanna go home! I wanna go home!"_

_**"SHUT UP!"**_

"_I WANT TO GO HOME! I want to go back to my uncle…I want to go back to Sandover! I want to go and relax, explore, play…I WANT TO GO HOME! You're HURTING ME! PLEASE! STOP HURTING ME!"_

_**"I SAID, SHUT UP!"**_

_"I just…I just want to go home! PLEASE, mister! I didn't do anything! Don't do this again! DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE! I'm scared! I don't wanna do this anymore! Ah…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

It pierced his heart deeply. A jagged sword in his heart. Jak, relieving all those repressed memories made him even angrier. Jak screamed at the top of his lungs and took out his guns and started to blindly shoot.  
"Oh, crap!" Daxter groaned, "Okay, we're right here for you, Jak!" Daxter's sarcasm was largely ignored as Jak ran from one of Praxis' blasts.  
"AHH!" Daxter screamed, "That thing has weapons!"  
"Oh, really!" Jak shouted back, shooting, "DIE!"  
"That's my line, kiddo!" Praxis screeched before sending down multiple missiles on the smooth black surface. Jak, taking Daxter and Puar dodged them easily. Jak then continued the shootings. Slowly, but surely, the bullets were making dents and holes in the flying vehicle.  
"HEY! This cost me THOUSANDS to build!" Praxis cried out.  
"Oh, I'm sure you can build more, you rich pig!" Jak cried out, shooting as he did so, now down to only his red scatter gun, "After all, while you live the high life, we get stuck in the bloody dumps, wondering on how to BLOODY survive!"  
"I'm protecting my people from the Metal heads and people like YOU!" Praxis hissed.  
"The people of the slums are dying and suffering!" Jak debated, "The slum's depression is already infecting the middle class and it's only a matter of time before it reaches the rich folks, even if they deserve it! Soon, everyone in Haven City is going to fight for survival and end up being cannibals or something! Not to mention you hurt me!" He shot a round of bullets as he made that speech.  
"I made you into the ultimate being, Jak!" Praxis cried, "You should be thankful!  
"Oh, yea, sure I'm thankful! I'm VERY BLOODY THANK FUL!" Jak dodged a wave of bullets, then shot back, "I'm thankful I turn into some…ruddy…evil demon who keeps invading my mind AND body every time I'm bloody pissed off!"  
"Uhh…Jak, you're getting kinda angry right now." Daxter gulped.  
"If you work for me, we wouldn't have this problem!" Praxis debated, "I could offer you food, money, nice clothes; I could get the best therapists to help you control your dark powers, health insurances. You could even be my son."  
"OH, BLOODY HELL, NO!" Jak retorted, "You're a terrible father!" Jak continued to shoot. The baron's flying machine was now on fire. It was at the point where one hit could total it. Praxis growled and sent another wave of missiles. Jak, once again dodged it, but it was getting harder and harder. Between him yelling at Praxis and missile dodging, Jak's headache increased and his temperature was rising. Jak was also down to his last bullets with no more to spare. His green eco first aid kit also was empty. He was a sitting duck. The debate and shooting continued as far as Jak could go. After that, Jak landed on his knees. He was gasping hard.

"JAK!" Daxter gasped. He held onto his best friend as much as he could, "Stay up! You have to stay up!"  
"D-Daxter…" Jak gulped back something. Praxis grinned and took this as his advantage.  
"One more time, join me and you get the key to true Haven…no pun intended…oppose me and…well…you know what'll happen." Praxis grinned. Jak frowned, making his face even redder.  
"SHUT….UP!" Jak cried. The thunderous violet lightning surrounded him. Daxter and Puar gasped. He was turning. Praxis gasped. This was the first time he saw Jak changing to the hell beast he made him. Jak's skin grew lighter, his eyes darker, his teeth into fangs, fingernails to claws. His scream was a roar. Dark Jak lived once more.  
Daxter and Puar hid while Dark Jak, without a thought, leaped up and landed on the Baron's machine. The Baron gasped. Dark Jak started to rip apart the machine like it was nothing but cardboard. The machine started to short circuit.  
"Malfunction, malfunction." The machine repeated. Praxis, for the first time, in a long time, was scared. He was panicking. He thought he was going to die by falling thousands of feet onto the ground. Dark Jak showed no sign of stopping. Praxis started to stare at the many buttons on his machine and frantically looked for the button he wanted. Dark Jak's roar sent shivers down his spine and sweats down his face. Praxis, finally finding the button he needed, pressed it. The machine gave a large bump, flinging Dark Jak off, making him land on the hard palace rooftops. The machine lost the tentacles, leaving only a small oval-shaped vehicle. Dark Jak slowly reverted to regular Jak. Daxter and Puar quickly ran to him and lifted him up so he was at least sitting down. Then, the three were eye to eye with Praxis.  
"The dark powers I gave you can't protect you forever! Since I made you, I can destroy you!" Praxis shouted, then he remained calm, "We'll meet again soon!" Praxis then flew off, obviously changing his mind on wanting to recruit Jak. He has had enough experience to know who wants to be on whose side and whatnot.

"Yea, whatever. Bye! Bye!" Daxter shouted. After they manage to get Jak on his feet, the three ran.

Puar, using her robotic arms kept Jak standing up as he ran in a clumsy manner while Daxter surrounded Jak every so often, incase he fell. Daxter was risking his self by becoming Jak's cushion should he collapse. They manage to reach the stairs. They climbed down a couple of them with Daxter keeping a close eye lest Jak was about to fall off the stairs. As Jak headed down the bottom of the stairs, he landed on the wall. Jak struggled to breathe. He was on his knees.

"Jak." Daxter gasped, "Oh, that dark side of you must've taken a lot of your energy! We have to-"  
"Shh!" Puar silenced, "I hear someone." Daxter and Puar peeked over the wall. Jak, eyes half closed also did as well.

It was Erol. They were near a room…Erol's room. He was talking to someone on his COMP, a Krimzon Guard.

"I don't care how you do it, just FIND THE FREAKIN' KID!" Erol shouted, "What the hell does Baron Praxis pay YOU?" The guard gave his promise and left. Erol sighed and groaned in pain. The three "spies" watching saw Erol clutching onto his side waist in pain. Erol had slight tears in his eyes. Erol sighed. Taking off his yellow jumpsuit (his red armor already off) until he was shirtless, it was revealed that Erol was greatly injured.  
"Whoa, did he get that from racing?" Daxter gasped, "I mean, we've been hearing he's a good racer and he's in a dangerous track and-"  
"The last time Erol got a racing accident was when he was 13, and that was when he was still a beginner racer. He NEVER gets hurt in a race." Puar whispered.  
"Krimzon mission, then." Daxter whispered.  
"Nada. Hey, they don't call Erol "Yellow Lightning" for nothing, Daxter." Puar sighed.  
Jak was now wide eye in shock. Erol had bruises all over his chest and back, all the size of Haven City itself. He had long scars that looked like he was whipped repeatedly. His right arm was bandaged as well as his entire waist. He was greatly hurt. Jak remembered Praxis' word…

_"Fail and it's ANOTHER beating from me."_

The Baron threatened Erol on beatings…could it be possible ALL those bruises and cuts were from the Baron himself? Jak gasped. Not because he felt pity for Erol (he hated Erol…as far as he was concerned), but because it was surprising. He always assumed Erol and Praxis were on good terms.  
Erol sat on the side of his bed, thought for a few seconds, then laid on the bed, curled in a fetal position.  
"I hate you…Ashelin." Erol mumbled, his feelings were obviously hurt.  
"Jak, we have to get outta here." Daxter gasped. Jak slowly nodded and got up. As he did, Jak groaned loudly. He, too, grabbed onto his waist like Erol did earlier. Erol gasped. He got off his bed, quickly placed his yellow jacket on, zipping it halfway, then ran off to the noise. There, he saw Jak.

"YOU!" Erol cried out, "GUARDS!"  
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Daxter screeched.  
Jak ran while Krimzon Guards appeared out of nowhere with Erol following close behind.  
"Don't let him escape!" Erol shouted.  
The twisty hallways of the palace wasn't giving Jak much of a advantage of dodging bullets so easily, but luckily, the guards were in packs, making them harder to catch up to him due to the narrowness of the hallways.  
"Puar, map!" Daxter shouted.  
"I'm looking!" Puar cried.  
"Can't you look faster?" Daxter shouted.  
"Hey, I have LOTS of maps with me, this will take time!" Puar screeched, "Oooh, I should really alphabetize these!" Jak, however, didn't pay attention. He ran, dodging bullets and entering hallways and doors like a pro. It was as if he knew where to go. And truth be told, they found a way out with no dead ends blocking them.  
"Jak…how did you know the way out so fast!" Puar gasped, "It's like you've lived here all your life."  
Jak didn't have time to answer as the guards were closing in. They couldn't see from where they were, but their bullets were a different story, reaching them still. Jak ran as best as he could, near the front gates out of the palace until a bullet bit him in the arm.  
"AHH!" Jak shouted. He fell straight down. Daxter and Puar quickly tried to get him up again. Daxter then scrambled to the front gates and tried to open it. Locked. He panicked, and then ran back to Jak again.

His hair was a mess, his face was covered with black dirt, his clothes were wet, soggy, and ripped, along with numerous cuts on his body. On top of that, his face was rosy red. His breathing was troubling. The fever was coming back all over again. Walking in the rain, fighting the Baron, turning into Dark Jak, and now this…Krimzon Guards and a bleeding arm. Jak's stress level was pretty damn high and unless a miracle occurred, he was done for.  
"JAK! GET UP! GET UP!" Daxter cried out, Puar also urging him. Jak was delirious. He couldn't hear anything. He did manage to mutter a whisper.  
"…Help…me…"

…………………

His mediating broke as he gasped at Jak's word. His eyes were wide open. He stood up.  
"Your majesty, are you okay?" Tess asked.  
"Mr. Jak's in trouble!" The kid gasped, barely able to hold his breathe.

…………………

"Help…me…" The words echoed in his head. Everything felt slow-mo. The guards slowly coming down the stairs, Daxter and Puar yelling at him to get up, Erol shouting from above…Jak's eyes were near closed, but wide enough to see that the half the orange pendent around his neck started to glow. Small at first, the glimmer grew brighter and brighter until everything was surrounded by light.  
Erol and his men were downstairs to find nothing. Nothing but a puddle of blood on the already red carpet.  
"What th-!" Erol gasped. Were they too late? Did they escape? The front gates were locked, he was so sure. Erol groaned in frustration as he threw his gun on the floor.

**Unknown  
****Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 1 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)  
_  
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!" Daxter screamed as he, Puar, and Jak fell down, "OOF!" Daxter groaned and panted in exhaustion. He coughed up dust from his face and spat them out._  
_"Ooh." Puar shook herself, "That was some ride! After that white light, everything went all fast and wonky!"_  
_"Ooh, where are we?" Daxter grabbed his head, "…Jak. JAK!" He raced to his friend who was on the dusty ground. Jak woke up from Daxter's cries._  
_"Jak, you okay?" Daxter asked, concerned. Jak stood up and nodded slowly. Daxter and Puar helped him up; his back lied against a wall._  
_"Where are we?" Jak mumbled, trying to get his focus back. Daxter observed the surroundings. Dusty, dark, and brown, they were in a round, almost claustrophobic place. Full of old books and other antiques covered in dust, derived, dried plants, and spider webs everywhere, they were in a small hut._  
_"We're in…Dead Town." Puar said. _  
_"Wait, Dead…Town!" Daxter gasped, "DEAD TOWN? Are you sure ABOUT THAT?"_  
_"Pretty sure." Puar nodded._  
_"How did we get from the palace to DEAD TOWN!" Daxter clutched his head, and then he stopped. He turned around and eyed the pendent Jak had on. The ottsel gasped, ran to Jak, and then eyed it._  
_"What did you SAY, Jak!" Daxter cried out._  
_"I asked for…help." Jak whispered, clutching onto his arm to stop the bleeding. The three were in confusion, but they seem to have theorized that the pendent caused them to enter here._  
_"But, why here of all places? Jak asked, "I thought it would take us back to headquarters."_  
_"I don't know, Jak, but this place does have a familiar ring to it." Daxter pondered, "Where have I seen that plant before?" Jak slowly stood up, rubbing his forehead with his head, then quickly held his injured arm again. Daxter, arms crossed, face frowning, eyed Jak._  
_"You look like a terrible mess!" Daxter cried out, "You TRYING to be a hobo?"_  
_"Daxter, not so bleedin' loud." Jak sighed, "I'm fine."_  
_"It's ALWAYS _"I'm fine."_ Daxter sarcastically shouted, "Well, guess what! You're NOT fine! You're sick, you're a mess, you need rest! And I MEAN IT! We're going back to headquarters and we're going to put you in bed and you're gonna sleep until you're BETTER! NO COMPLAINTS! Let's GO!" Jak was instantly shocked at Daxter. He never did anything like this before. Yes, as a joke, but this time, the little Ottsel was serious. Seeing as he was too dizzy to argue, Jak nodded and left.The three were out when they noticed they were pretty high up._  
_"Wow." Puar sighed, "We're on one of the highest point of Dead Town." Puar nodded, "I noticed because of the shape of this hut. It's different from most of the others." Jak and Daxter slowly nodded and stared at the hut, turned to walk down, stopped, and stared at it again, gasping._  
_"Is that... Is that... No, it couldn't be... that's not…" Daxter gasped, pointing to the hut with a shaky paw._  
_"It's Samos's Hut." Jak gasped, wide eyed, forgetting that he was very ill._  
_"But... What?... How?... When?... Where?... Why!" Daxter continued, "Puar…Wha-What happen to this village!"_  
_"Rumors said the Metal Heads did this." Puar answered, "No given records."_  
_"WHEN?" Daxter shouted, trying hard not to vomit._  
_"Around the time Haven City was being built, some 300 something years ago." Puar answered.

Jak and Daxter both gasped, their mouths wide open.

"Oh, my…"Daxter could barely speak.  
"Are you okay?" Puar asked then two,  
"…Daxter…we're…we're in the future!" Jak gasped, "…This HORRIBLE place…is our world…"  
And after that, Jak promptly fell unconscious, his fever at it's highest point yet.  
**To Be Continued…**


	12. End of an Era, Beginning Anew

**Jak II  
ACT I: A City Under Siege  
Chapter 12: End of an Era, Beginning Anew**

_"He's turning 9 years old." Samos commented to me.  
"A party must be in order for him." I ordered, "His first anniversary here in this village has passed and we haven't even celebrated his arrival!"  
"This is a birthday party, not a festival." Samos laughed, "Although, invitations are in order." I laughed along with Samos._

_The party was to be a surprise, so little Jak was not to know. Samos wrote the invitation with Kiera's help while I got the residences of Sandover to help decorate for Jak's party. When Jak asked what we were decorating for, I simply told them it was for a holiday, although in truth, it was for a holiday as well, so I felt in safe confidence that my lie wasn't even remotely a small "white lie" as much as it is me "bending the truth".  
You see, little Jak was born in the same day as Purity Day. Purity Day, it's every child's favorite holiday. Celebrated during the last month of the winter, Purity is a time for miracles, innocence, hopes, sharing and giving, as well as dreams. Presents are given to loved ones, trees are decorated with colorful ornaments, songs are sung, and chestnuts roast in an open fire. Aye, it was a beautiful time. It's always best to see the children smile during Purity Day. And by Jove, Jak was born during a special time of year._

_His birth symbolized a lot for the child. Winter is associated with water. Jak was named because he fell from the skies and into water. Not to mention Jak himself loved the water. Everyday, he would stare at the blue ocean when he wasn't swimming in it. It didn't matter if it was a stormy day, Jak loved the sea. In the water, he was a fast swimmer. He loved the water. He cared for the creatures of the sea as much as he did in land (he refused to eat any animals, let along dress clothes made from animals), and sitting on the beach for hours on en just staring at the endless supply of water. That child had immortal patience. I learned much from this child.  
He arrived on a cool summer night, his birthday coming in the Winter, but due to time confusion and with hardly anyone Jak's age liked him at that time, we never bother to celebrate, but this year would be the perfect celebration for both his birthday and arrival._

_The village was covered heavily in snow, but that did not stop the villagers from making a perfect birthday for Jak. They loved the child too much not to. Everyone donned coats and scarves. Some had earmuffs, majority had goggles, but the interesting aspect is our feet which remained the same. It's amazing how much our feet can survive the cold, but then again, we were used to it._

_"Where's Jak?" Samos asked me one day while we were decorating.  
"He, Kiera, and Daxter went off to play." I answered, "This gives us plenty of time before we're done. Kiera and Daxter will keep them busy."  
"Where did they go?" Samos asked.  
"They went to the Forbidden Forest." I answered. Before Samos could protest on the danger, I responded back, "They promise not to go too far off and if they see any danger, they will immediately return home." Samos sighed.  
"Oh… I'm inviting the other sages." Samos changed the subject.  
"Other sages?" I came to, "I see."  
"Where I come from, the other sages are nowhere to be seen." Samos responded, 'I tried to look for them, but I didn't get far, although I have some theories as to where they could be, but that's another story. I'm just glad to see them again."  
"…You've met them before you came here, to the past?" I asked.  
"You'd be surprised how old I really am." Samos chuckled._

……………………

_"What is it?" Daxter whispered.  
"A wumpbee's nest." Jak gasped, "I've heard of this. Uncle told me about them. The only insects to appear during the winter. They're about 2 feet high and possess a lot of fur!"  
"Oh, Jak, we're going to explore the Wumpbee's nest?" Kiera gasped, "You of all people know better then to do something stupid like that. That's what Daxter does!"  
"HEY!" Daxter hissed.  
"I'm not going to go to the nest; I just want to see them from afar."_

_Jak donned a light blue coat with a red scarf, goggles around his forehead, and gray gloves. His standard brown pilot hat still graced his head. Daxter had on an orange coat with red mittens on and a yellow scarf. Also wearing a pilot hat. He could camouflage himself for Autumn if he had to. Kiera wore a sea green coat with violet scarf and earmuffs. She wore violet gloves.  
Jak slowly, but surely tiptoed over to the nest. Kiera and Daxter stayed back; ready to run to Jak's aid should he be stung. Wumpbee's stings are poisonous, but not fatal. They can paralyze you for hours. Jak got closer and closer as the wumpbee's buzzing sounds could be heard. It amazed him. Jak had a rather bizarre obsession for animals. He LOVED animals, case in point and seem to have some rather wonderful connection with them. Samos concurred that this might be another special power he possessed, but he didn't feel a magical connection with it.  
As Jak got close, the buzzing got louder._

_"Jak, turn back!" his friend whispered to him. Jak, his smile wide, his eyes bright and shining, got closer and closer and closer and…_

…_Something snapped in his mind…_

_**"Oh, and stay away from ANY wumpbee's nest on your ninth birthday."**_

_Jak stopped, frozen for a brief second. He gasped. He remembered something or was it all just a random occurrence in the back of his head?  
"Why is he just staying there?" Daxter gasped.  
"I…I don't know." Kiera gulped, "I'm getting a bit worried." Jak turned away to face them and walked back where he smiled.  
"Let's go home." he responded. Jak started to walk home, Kiera and Daxter were eyeing each other in a confused and scared manner._

……………

_"SURPRISE, HAPPY 9TH BRITHDAY, JAK!" Everyone popped out of nowhere upon Jak's return. Jak, gasping from shock and surprised was now moved to tear, as well as shouting out in happiness, like any little child would on his birthday.  
"I can't believe you did all this for me." Jak sniffed, "Thank you so much."  
"Well, you've made quite an impression on all of us, Jak." I smiled, "You more then deserve it, my boy!" I lifted up Jak and took him to a table where we celebrated his birthday.  
"So, Jak, what did you do in the Forbidden Forest?" I asked.  
"Oh, well, it started off when you told me about the Wumpbees…"_

…………………

**Dead Town**  
**Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 1 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"Jak, oh-no!" Daxter panicked again, "What do we do!"  
"I..I…OH! I can fly to headquarters and ask for help!" Puar responded.  
"GOOD! GOOD! You do that!" Daxter jumped up and down. Puar nodded, and then started to hover down, but someone blocked her way.  
"AHH!" Puar went back to Daxter and the two saw three people climbing up the wooden bridge to Samos' hut. It was a short black haired woman along with a man with a camera, and another man holding various tools, usually for digging. The man and woman were donning explorer clothes while the cameraman had on causal wear.  
"Ahh, and here we have another old village." the short haired female commented, she held a recorder in one hand, "Observe how tall the village is in. Makes you wonder if the leader of this primitive tribe dwelled here." She had on a common Haven accent, same as Jak's.  
"Uhh…boss." The cameraman pointed, "Dude, I think someone beat us to it."  
"Wha-" She turned around and gasped. There was Jak, Daxter, and Puar, right before her eyes.  
"HEY! What are you doing here?" She cried, "GET OUT OF MY DISCOVERY!"  
"Your discovery?" Puar questioned, "What's going on?"  
"I am Carmen, world famous explorer/archeologist/adventurer." She pointed to herself proudly, "This is Mei, my partner, and my cameraman, Chio. Now, get out of the way, we're trying to document this place!"  
"This isn't the time for documenting, can't you see this poor boy here is hurt?" Puar gasped, "Look how injured he is."  
"Ooh, he does look like he bit the big one." Carmen sighed, "Well, seeing as you probably won't budge from this spot, we'll help out. Mei, get the first aid team in here."  
"Yes, ma-am." Mei saluted and left.  
"Partner or more like servant?" Daxter mumbled quietly to Puar.

In a matter of minutes, two first aid team members came with a stretcher. Placing Jak on it, they slowly took him down and took him to camp where more archaeologists were. It was close to the entrance to the city. There, the archeologists were observing stones, destroying things, and basically damaging the place to make it even worse then it is now.

"These archeologists are careless!" Daxter whispered loudly, "Look at what they're doing! Jak will NOT be happy if he saw them ruining Dead Town."  
"Is this place so important to you and Jak?" Puar gasped, "Do you…know this place?"  
"You could say that." Daxter nodded.  
"You mentioned Samos." Puar commented.  
"Yea, so?" Daxter asked, "Why?"  
"N-Nothing." Puar shook herself.  
Daxter and Puar waited outside of the first aid tent until way yonder into dawn. Daxter was curled in his sleep while Puar was recharging herself. The doctors came over to the two. They were twins. Puar was the first to wake up.  
"GASP! Daxter, wake up!" She nudged the little Ottsel who slowly opened his eyes. Smacking his lips and yawning, he half opened his eyes, saw the light of the sun, and slumped back to sleep.  
"Oh, WAKE UP!" Puar shouted. No dice. She thought for a good second while the doctors eyed her. Puar then lit a light bulb. She took a deep breath, then--  
"MORNING EXERCISE! COME ON! COME ON! LET'S ALL DO IT!" Puar shouted, "WAKE UP! WE GOT MORNING EXERCISE!" And Daxter screamed a blood curling scream, leaping a few feet in the air, coming back down with his fur sticking out.  
"Welcome back, Daxter." Puar spoke. Daxter shook violently, but Puar ignored him, turning her attention to the doctors who muffled their laughter.  
"How is he?" Puar asked.  
"I'm surprise he manage to survive." one of the doctors answered, "That boy lost a significant amount of blood and he's suffering from pneumonia."  
"Pneumonia!" Puar gasped with Daxter following suit.  
"Yes, it'll be a while before he fully recovers." The other doctor replied, "He woke up a couple of times while we were trying to heal him. He mumbled quite a lot. We tried to speak with him but he seemed to be delirious. What was he doing that caused so many injuries?"  
"He went outside the city walls and had a run in with a group of Metal Heads." Puar quickly lied. The two doctors cringed.  
"My goodness, thank Haven the boy is alive!" The first doctor gasped, "What a foolish mistake the boy made, fighting Metal heads and leaving the city walls! How foolish!"  
"Hey, you're outside, aren't ya?" Puar asked, "This place is outside city walls."  
"Well, not many Metal Heads come here, if ever, the entire place is too decayed for even those wretched creatures." The second doctor replied, "At least as far as we're concerned. So far, we've been lucky to have not met any."  
"You'll never know." Puar suggested. The two doctors shrugged, leaving Puar to deliver a huge sigh. She changed the subject back to Jak.  
"…Is he asleep?" Puar asked.  
"Yes, when he'll wake up, I don't know." The first doctor replied, "I suggest you give him the rest."  
"Thank you, doctor." Puar responded and with that, the doctors left.  
"Wasn't that the royal family member's COMP?" the second doctor asked.  
"Who cares if it was?" The first one sighed, "Let's get some coffee."

Puar and Daxter quickly went inside. There was Jak, sleeping on a make shift bed. His hair was still messy and more cuts and bruises were shown with his goggles and red scarf off. His shirt was off, revealing his chest. There were multiple bandages surrounding him, gauzes here and there as well. His arm and chest were the most wrapped with blood seeping through. He was perfectly still. Puar stared at the mess before her and then at Daxter who had his ears drooped low. His eyes were wet with tears.  
"Daxter…" Puar started.  
"Jak, you…you stupid…lunkhead!" Daxter shouted, "I hate you! I hate what you've become! I hate how you think so rashly! That's suppose to be me! I hate you! You're mean, cruel, you're a monster! I don't want to be friends with someone who not only risk himself, but his friends! You're selfish, Jak! YOU'RE SELFISH!" And with that, Daxter stormed off.  
"DAXTER!" Puar gasped.  
No one noticed the little Ottsel leaving. Puar quickly left the first aid tent and watched Daxter as he started to climb up a few rocks and delve deeper into the woods. Where was he going, she wondered?

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 1 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"WHAT?" Tess cried out, "Is he okay?"  
"Jak's fine." Puar responded, making a phone call to headquarters, "But he's greatly hurt." Tess noticed the kid coming to her.  
"Mr. Jak? Did you mention Mr. Jak?" The child gasped, "Is he alright!"  
"He's fine." Puar sighed, "He's just asleep. When he wakes up, I don't know."  
"I will go to him." The kid said.  
"And risk yourself, no way!" Tess gasped.  
"I let Mr. Jak go to the palace!" The kid cried out, "He is my responsibility."  
"Your majesty, this is dangerous! You can't stick up for everyone, you'll end up hu-" Puar cried out.  
"My job as prince is to protect my people!" The child shouted, "Whether or not Jak is from this city or from a far off place, he IS living in Haven Kingdom property, thus making him one of my responsibilities! I shall go to him, do I make myself clear, Miss Puar!"  
"….Yes." Puar nodded, "I'll await your arrival." Puar signed out.  
"You're really going to go?" Tess gasped.  
"Yes." the kid nodded, putting on his jacket and scarf, "Well, don't stand there gawking at me, get Sir Torn!" Tess nodded and went to fetch him. Ani the crocadog ran up to Jak and barked.  
"Ani, prepare yourself, we're going to Dead Town." The kid spoke to the dog. Ani barked happily, as it would do anything for its master.

After some convincing, meaning the kid was threatening Torn that he would take over the Underground if he wasn't escorted to Dead Town (and the act that Torn wanted to know why the hell Jak left the underground to face the Baron), Torn and Tess took the kid, along with Ani. When the four reached there, the kid came over and shouted:  
"Who is in charge of here! I demand to know!" Not knowing he was the prince, the archaeologists thought this was too cute. The kid groaned. At this point, he didn't care if his true identity slipped, especially at this point of boiling stress he was undergoing. Torn sighed, shaking his head.  
"No, seriously, where's the leader here?" The kid shouted, "Answer me!"  
"I'm the leader." Carmen groaned, she could never get any work done, "What's it is, kid, I have work to do."  
"I'd watch your mouth on who you speak of." The kid hissed, "I wish to know where Mr. Jak is."  
"Mr. Jak?" Carmen scratched her head, "Oh, you mean the injured kid. You friends with him?"  
"He is…my older brother." The kid lied.  
"Yea, ya certainly look like him, so, in that case, he's in that tent." Carmen pointed, "Now leave me alone, I'm trying to work here!" The kid "hmphed" and went inside with Torn and Tess following. Carmen glared at two adults.  
"Uhh…he loves to play royalty a lot." Torn gulped. He sighed and went inside as well. There, the kid stared in shock at Jak's features  
"Oh, poor Jak!" Tess gasped.  
"I'm so glad you're here." Puar hovered. The kid sat down on a small stool next to the Jak.  
"Oh, geez." Torn shook his head, "That stupid kid! What was he thinking! Barging in on the palace! That was complete suicide and it seems Jak made an example of himself because of that!"  
"Torn." Tess urged.  
"He's gonna have one hell of a talking to once he wakes up." Torn crossed his arms. The kid, meanwhile, started to sob back a few tears, trying desperately to hide it.  
"Maybe we better leave him alone." Tess urged Torn, pushing him out of the tent. Puar also agreed and the two ladies pushed Torn out. Ani was the last to leave. It noticed it's master's tears. He wiped the tears off, cried some more, then covered his face with his hands. Ani, ears dropping, left reluctantly.  
"I am…sorry, Mr. Jak." The kid cried, "It is my fault that you were hurt. I should have prevented you from leaving. I don't need another lost in my life…"

"And he left?" Tess gasped.  
"Yea, he ran off after he badmouthed Jak." Puar told them on Daxter's disappearance when Tess grew curious to his whereabouts.  
"What I want to know is how the hell Jak got from the palace to here." Torn still had his arms crossed.  
"The pendent." Puar responded, "Jak had half of the kid's pendent. He asked for help when he was a sitting duck in the palace and he ended up here."  
"Wow." Tess gasped, "I knew the pendent was powerful, but…wow, just-wow."  
"Hmph." Torn still crossed his arms, "Still foolish. Stupid kid.  
"I hope Daxter is alright." Tess sadly said, "I hope he comes back."  
"I'm sure he's fine, it's Daxter." Puar shrugged, "He'll be a-okay." Tess slowly nodded, but she couldn't help it. She was worried. During the months they've know each other, the two became close friends. Daxter would be there to cheer Tess up when she was upset, make up jokes and openly flirt with her whenever he had to, making Tess laugh. He was entertaining to her and a great conservationist to boot.

Days passed, but Daxter did not return. Tess and Torn had to return back to headquarters, but Kor came over to watch the child who refused to leave without Jak.

**Haven City**  
**Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 8 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"With report of the mysterious Underground member, Jak Bannon, missing for a week now, the Baron has made it clear that he is winning and that this is signs of good things to come. We'll keep an update on this. I'm Canny Macher, good day." The well-known figure in news reporting drone on, sounding excited, if not slightly sarcastic, as though he didn't believe a word the Baron said. The archaeologists were watching the portable TV they held. Showing a picture of Jak (a rather blurry one), the archaeologists shrugged it off and went to work. Knowing Jak was in the tent, they still had no concern. As long as either the Baron, Metal heads, or Jak left them alone to conduct their business, why should they care?  
In the first aid tent, the child had fallen asleep. Kor was just outside the tent, standing perfectly still. Ani was inside the tent, but near the entrance, waiting for any unwanted foes to enter so it could kill them and protect the ones it loved. Ani constantly looked over its shoulder to see how the kid was holding out. It was worried. Soon, the kid might end up sick!  
The kid was holding Jak's hand constantly. He has been holding his hand for an extended period at a time, never letting go, despite the sweat getting in. The child felt a connection he has never felt in anyone in his life. Jak held something that the child never thought anyone else could have: magic. Not just any magic. If that was the case, he would feel indifferent to Kor who he also felt some presence of magic from, no matter how many times Kor denied it. Of course, concerning Kor's magic, it was quite different. Quite different indeed. The child wasn't so sure what though. He made it his goal to find out someday. When it came to Jak, his magic was familiar and special.

Any person who has magical abilities had a built-in sixth sense that helped them know the difference between a normal person and one born with magic. The spiritual magic he felt on Jak was a very familiar one. The last time he felt such a presence was from his very own father. The Romanir family was superior in every way to the people of Haven Kingdom, for they possessed magic…  
From the start of the Haven Kingdom's birth, the Romanir family was the ultimate hope for the people as well as their ticket to their fates. All first born children, direct descendents from Mar himself are said to be filled with that gifted magical powers. No other family members does possess magic, only the first born, a reason they are well valued and protected. Their powers are said to exceptionally powerful. The people worshipped the royal family fore they could talk with the Precursors or so they believed. The royal family were the only ones who can see in the world from beyond. They could prophet the fate of their lives, the fate of the world, the galaxy when given the visions. There were only so many powers they possessed. As the years passed by in the city though, more people seem to believe the Precursors as mere legends and stories of old as miracles and magic seem to drift. It sadden the royal family and the few who still clung onto the existence of Precursors and magic. The child hoped that he would change that fate and help realize that Precursors do exist. He just needed proof. Right now, his main concern was Jak.

He woke up when he felt the hand squeeze his own. The child gasped.  
"Mr. Jak…" He whispered. Jak, slowly twitching his eyes, moved his head slightly. Then, he slowly opened his eyes.  
"Uhhh…" Jak groaned.  
"….Mr. Jak…" The kid gasped, tears came from happiness, "You're awake…you're awake!"  
"…Your majesty?" Jak groaned. He slowly rose up until he was sitting. The kid responded with a massive hug. He cried and cried, his tiny arms clinging onto Jak. Jak didn't do anything. He just hugged the child back, despite his groggy feeling.  
With the bandages off and Jak dressed in his outfit (Tess sewed the holes and washed it for him), Jak left the tent with the child holding onto his hand. When they were outside, it was snowing. The child gasped. He loved snow.

"Oh, you're awake." Kor limply walked to Jak. The other archeologists took note of his awakenings and gave him some hearty advices concerning the Metal Heads.  
"Don't fight them no more!"  
"Be careful when near Metal Heads."  
"Yea, don't wanna end up like that again!"  
Jak only responded in confusion, "…O…kay?"  
"I am glad you are alright." The kid smiled, "…The pendent helped you, didn't it?"  
"Yea." Jak nodded, "Where's Puar?"  
"She's with Sir Torn for now." The child answered.  
"Okay, what about Daxter?" Jak asked, then he proceeded to shout for his friend, "Daxter, where are you? Daxter!"  
"Daxter is gone as well, Mr. Jak." The kid regrettably spoke.  
"Wha--WHAT?" Jak gasped, "Why?"  
"From what Puar told me, he was angry at you." The kid answered.  
"Angry?" Jak screeched, "What did I do!"  
"He said you were being too rash, too risking, and too selfish. He said you were not yourself." The kid said. Jak wanted to debate back, but unfortunately, the truth landed on him like a ton of bricks. Jak stood silent for a brief moment, pondering hard on what to do.  
"…Where is he?" Jak asked.  
"I don't know." The kid shook his head, "I wish I knew." The kid lowered his head, sad that he had to be the one to tell Jak this. Ani warmed up to him. Jak stood silent, concerned. Where would Daxter go? His concentration fell off when one of the archeologists dropped a piece of Dead Town.  
"What th-" Jak gasped. He race towards them, "HEY! What the bloody hell are you doing?"  
"Whoa, chill out, kiddo." a short, fat archeologist backed off, "I broke it by accident. Besides, it's just a little piece. No one will care."  
"I care!" Jak groaned, "Can't you archeologists be more careful? I mean, what the bloody hell's the matter with you? Do you not see this once was a beautiful place? Blimey!"  
"How do you know?" came a skinny archeologist, "You act like you've been there."  
"…I…I just do." Jak sighed.  
"Look, as much as this place fascinates me, we will do what it takes to uncover its mysteries, little boy." Carmen came from behind, arms crossed, hips cocked to one side, "If we have to blow up a piece of the town, then we'll do it."  
"You can't!" Jak screamed, "How cruel can you be! This place means a lot to me and you destroying hurts me inside! I love this place!" Jak spoke with such a passion, waving his arms in visual fashion, occasionally cocking his head towards the other archeologist's faces. Was it because of the news he just received from the kid that drove him to protest or was it an aching for his past home that caused him to yell?  
"…Wait, you love this…this…dump?" Carmen scoffed, "You're a hell of a lot more stupider then I pictured, kiddo. Sure, this place is rich with culture, but in reality, it's just a dump. There hardly is anything even valuable in here! Sometimes, I wonder what I'm still doing here. It's just a primitive tribe."  
"It's not primitive!" Jak shouted back, "Well, maybe compare to Haven City, but this village held out a lot on his own!"  
"Kid, I'm warning you, back off and let us do our job!" Carmen pushed him outside, "Go home and play your video games or something!"  
"You are taking this whole archeologist thing the wrong way!" Jak slapped his hand to his face."  
"Look, little kid--"  
"I'M NOT A LITTLE KID!" Jak whined…ironically like a little kid. The kid sighed in embarrassment. Jak groaned in frustration and stormed.  
"Where are you going?" The kid gasped.  
"To think!" Jak screamed. He walked off further into Dead Town.  
"First Daxter leaves, now Mr. Jak." The kid pointed out. Ani nodded in agreement while Kor watched from afar, almost like he was scanning him.

…………………

As Jak walked, he mumbled to himself angrily.  
"Bastards, trying to destroy the ONE place I loved in this hellhole." Jak grumbled, "If Uncle was watching this, he'd throw a royal fit…hell, everyone in Sandover would. Bloody freakin' hell!" Jak stopped. The mere mention of his uncle had him aching for home. Then he proceeded to march forth, anger driving him with each step pounding the dirt.  
"And stupid Daxter. Calling me selfish!" Jak sniffed, ready to cry (though he was trying not to), he then shouted, assumingly to Daxter, "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO RAN OFF! YOU ABANDON ME AND YOU CALL ME SELFISH! YOU'RE THE SELFISH ONE! NOT ME!" He shouted so loud that echoes could be heard. Jak groaned and stopped where a murky lake blocked his path. He sighed and sat on the edge of the ground nearest the murky water. He placed his arms around his knees and rested his head down. He groaned again.

_"Well, aren't you Mr. Nice guy now?"  
"Huh?"  
"Heh, if I didn't know better, I'd think you hate Daxter."  
"How…?"  
"Thought I only exist in your supposed dreams. When you sleep? Heh, I did. But I'm getting stronger now. You keep unleashing me, I keep absorbing more power. I can speak to you now mentally whenever I want. Oh, joy."  
"Get out of my head."  
"How many times must you say that when you know it's too little, too late to do such a thing? I'm obsessed with you, you see."  
"GET OUT!"  
"Daxter hates you. Your precious hometown is a wasteland and you're stuck in the future with no chance of ever getting back! Face the music, kid, nothing's good going to come outta this."  
"No…"  
"Just let me take over you. Accept me. You'll be unstoppable. Virtually immortal. We'll get stronger and take over this kingdom ourselves."  
"The Kingdom belongs to the child."  
"Geez, you really love that kid, don't you? He's everything to you, isn't he? Just like Daxter and Kiera and Samos? Eh? Now you add in that little weakling."  
"He's stronger then he looks. The kid trusts me."  
"Once Prince Christof becomes prince of his city, he'll only abandon the same way your stupid friend, Daxter did!"  
"NO!"  
"YES! He'll be too busy trying to rule Haven to waste his time on you! He'll put you in jail for all the damage you've done to the city!"  
"I am saving this kingdom! The child knows that!"  
"HA! He'll change his mind once he's on the throne!"  
"HE TRUSTS ME! I have this pendent as PROOF! He would NEVER give up something as personal and important to him, let along half of it if he didn't trust me! Now, just GET OUT! GET OUT! GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET OUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!"  
"Selfish ass! No wonder Daxter left you! ALL YOU EVER DO IS THINK ABOUT YOURSELF! YOU NEVER THINK OF ANYONE ELSE! You play the hero and get the praise while your friends are stuck in the background, hurt from the missions you dragged them into! You're selfish, you stupid bastard! SELFISH!"  
"SHUT UP! Daxter CHOSE to come with ME!"  
"DID HE? Or he did feel the need to make it up to you? After all, you saved his life many years back from that lurker, not to mention all the countless other times you played hero to his distress! Admit it; you're a selfish limelight stealer! Hogging the spotlight and demanding the glories by being a "hero!"  
"GET OUT! GEEEEEEEEEEEEET OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!"_

And with that, his darker self left him for the time being, leaving Jak standing up, gasping for breath from all that shouting. He slowly walked over to the murky water and saw his very own reflection, then he feel on his knees and screamed. He cried while shouting at the top of his lung in frustration and anger. How he hated himself. How he hated what he has become. He couldn't change. That would be too hard. Daxter was right; he became someone he never intended to be. His innocent flush down the toilet. He could never be who he was, the person he loved to be. He was happy and he made other people happy. Now, the only person he was pleasing was his darker self who enjoyed torturing him at every whim and absorbing his darkness to make himself stronger. He hated himself. Jak cried harder, his yells echoing pass the trees, sending birds off of it. He didn't know what to do. He made rash decisions. He got himself nearly killed. He lost his friend. Would it feel appropriate if he just lied there on the ground and just died there? Curled in a fetal position as he covered his face, ashamed to let anyone see him, just to die? Death, the one escape.

A small light passed Jak, but he didn't noticed. His eyes were closed and his face cupped by his hand as he was slowly sobbing. His face was buried in his arms and knees. Another small ball of light passed him. It looked like a miniature comet. Again, Jak did not notice. More balls of light passed him until they surrounded him and the area he was in. Jak slowly lifted his head up and opened his eyes. He gasped. The balls were passing by him and moving near him. What were they? Jak gasped, scared. Were they ghosts? No…they felt…warm and familiar. Jak sat up and stared at them.

"…What are you?" Jak asked them. They moved slowly around. The looked like spirit balls or some pryeflies, "…You all feel so warm…" The warm feeling was familiar. The only feeling you get from Sandover. Jak didn't do anything, but he could hear them "speak" to him.  
"…You're upset that Sandover is even more ruined then it is now, aren't you?" Jak asked, his voice shaky from all the crying he did. The balls glowed brightly, responding, "…Me, too. It was my home." The ball twinkled.  
"It was your home, too?" Jak asked. The spirit balls glowed some more, "…You're ALL residences of Sandover, all the way since the village's beginnings?" Jak gasped. More spirit balls floated pass him and Jak felt a breath of familiarity. He recognized the presence of some of them.  
"Mr. Mayor…Mr. Ollie…the Fisherman…Mikel the scuptler…you asked me to find your muse…" Jak gasped, "Ms. Perch, the bird watcher…I met a Flut-Flut because of you…" Jak knew these people. They were his neighbors, his friends, and family. These were their spirits, restless one who couldn't pass on. Were they waiting for Jak's return since his fateful "disappearance" some 300 years ago? Were they in sorrow over the village's lost and waited till someone would come to fix it up?  
Two spirit balls passed by Jak.  
"….Daxter's parents." Jak gasped, "…What about Uncle? Where is he?" The spirit balls glowed.  
"He's…he's not here?" Jak gasped, "…Where is he? I thought he'd be with you." The balls glowed once more.  
"You don't know?" Jak seemingly repeated. Once again, they responded with their glow.  
"…Why don't you go to the afterlife?" Jak asked, looking up. They glowed.  
"Because the village, your home…our home is being destroyed by the archeologists, the Baron…you guys cannot rest." Jak repeated with the balls glowing in agreement.  
"I don't understand…why am I here?" Jak sniffed, "Why am I in this horrible, horrible place? Why me of all people? I don't understand."  
This time, the balls did not glow, but a soft voice reached Jak's ears…

_"Although you are not fully aware of your destiny just yet, everything will become clear to you."_

Jak gasped. That voice was eerily familiar.

_"Believe in yourself. Have faith. Trust those you can trust and remember…never loose your purity."_

"…I already lost that." Jak sniffed, "Along with my best friend."

_"There is always room to change, young one. That pendent you hold, half or whole, will be your guide to your chosen fate…and remember…_

…_Remember…I will always be with you, no matter where you go, my boy. No matter what you face, my soul will always accompany the most important part of you…your heart…"_

The voice echoed off, leaving Jak alone. The spirit balls were all gone. Jak stood there, stunned. Was he dreaming? Was this all just some hallucination? Did he think these thoughts because he was homesick and alone? Jak gasped. That voice…was it also a hallucination? That voice…  
"….Uncle?" Jak whispered. Jak, sitting, his cheeks red and his nose slightly running, just sat there, thinking. Empty and alone, yet feeling warm, Jak stood up, "It's…it's been 300 years…you cannot exist, you cannot touch me, and you cannot be here anymore." Jak let the tears flow down his face, "You don't appreciate what I became, do you…uncle?" His face bowed down, once more staring at his own reflection.  
Jak, his hands balled into a fist, frowning face with tears, stood strong, like he was fighting something.  
"Uncle…" he repeated, "Give me another sign….PLEASE!"

_"Silence did the world sound at first…  
Never managing to utter a word  
Then a light came from above  
A glorious light I have seen  
Beautiful and magical, it shone up a light…"_

That song…

"_Great Precursors gave us life.  
Enriched out world with green and aqua…  
Power of Good and hope shone through  
Never aware of the chaos that grew"  
_

"_Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain  
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds  
I live in another part of the world  
But always know I am here…"_

He knew that song…

"_The Darkness grew and spread  
Never knowing where it came  
Precursors felt lost and done  
But the light grew in purity's heart_

"It spread and spread…  
Though it could vanquish the chaos  
A power of balance it creates…  
And that is the world of today…"

"_Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain  
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds  
I live in another part of the world  
But always know I am here…"_

The song was sung by the kid. He smiled and continued singing…

"_Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain  
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds  
I live in another part of the world…"_

The boy stopped softly, but stared at Jak, waiting…

"……_But always know I am here…"_

Jak sang the last part. The two stared at each other.  
"Mr. Jak…" the kid spoke his name softly. Jak wiped the tears off his face.  
"…My uncle sang me that song." Jak said, "I've nearly forgotten it, just as I have forgotten myself."  
"300 years…" The kid came, "So, you came 300 years from the past."  
"…You listened." Jak said in a completely unsurprised voice.  
"…Yes." The kid nodded, "I apologize, I overheard."  
"It's alright; it was bound to get out, if not slowly." Jak reassured, "I'm just glad it's you." The child smiled that innocent smile.  
"Everyone will know soon." The kid spoke, "Given time."  
"I know, but for now, it's me, you, and Daxter who knows." Jak winked.  
"And Ani."  
"And Ani." Jak repeated. With that said, Jak started to walk pass the child, going away from the murky water and back.  
"Where are you going?" The kid asked.  
"….I need to find Daxter…" Jak spoke softly, "I need to preserve this village…I need to…to… change…" that last word he whispered softly.  
"Mr. Jak." The kid gasped.  
"…First, I have to find Daxter." Jak said, speaking in a usual confidence and sincerity, "…Umm…do you want your pendent back?"  
"No." The kid shook his head, "It is yours to keep. Trust it. It will guide you. You have one and I have one. It is a symbol that I trust you."  
"Thank you." Jak nodded, gripping the pendent tightly before shoving it back behind his red scarf.  
"What will you do once you do find him?" The kid asked. Jak stopped, lifted his head up to eye the sky, his back facing the kid. The child's back facing Jak. Snow fell lightly, but heavily. The ugly Dead Town grew beautiful like Sandover. Jak closed his eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.  
"I'm gonna apologize to him." Jak answered, "…There is always room to change." He walked off. The child smiled contently and he, too stared at the sky.  
The child gasped silently. Perhaps this was the true hope that he was looking for. The child knew that Jak would be the one to save the Kingdom. No more hoping, no more waiting, the time is now.  
"Yes…there is."  
**End of Part 1...**


	13. ACT 2: Ottsel Society

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 2: The Precursor Stone  
Chapter 13: Ottsel Society**

J_ak aged quite gracefully. Was he only 8 when I first met him? I cannot believe he is no longer a child. He grew up quite tall as well. He was still short compare to most boys, but Jak was still young, he just grew at a much shorter rate. And what do you know, I was right. Jak's green hair is now yellow. The green part stuck on the roots though, although Jak feels offended whenever he is referred to as a blonde for reasons unknown. He was 13 years old now._

_The boy has been receiving much training from a man I hired on request by Samos. He had no real name because he never told anyone. He was nicknamed…er…Chop-Chop. We call him "Chop" or "Choppy", he didn't mind. A skilled martial artist, he was currently teaching Jak how to fight to survive.  
"Why do I have to learn to fight, uncle?" Jak asked one day. He was draping with sweat from training. He held a towel over his shoulders.  
"Samos thought it best if you develop your muscles." I came in, "Plus, it will help if you wish to explore like me. I used to be quite the muscled man myself…I was also taller." I confessed as I started at my legs.  
"…What happen?" Jak asked.  
"It's a gruesome story." I sighed, "In short, a giant 12 foot Ursa Bear has beaten my shins and I had to…uhh…had it surgically removed."  
"Ewww." Jak cringed, "So that's why you have the cane. Yet, you're still brave enough to explore."  
"Exploration runs in the family, my boy." I smiled, sipping tea as par usual. We were sitting outside, watching the ocean from our patio out in our backyard of our home. I placed a white table there with four matching chairs and a giant umbrella to block out the sun. This was an exceptionally gorgeous spot for ocean viewing. Especially in the sunset which is when we talked of this particular subject.  
"I can never stop." I smiled.  
Jak, too, smiled. Yes, I still explored. I was quite old, on my early 40's right now, but that was of little concern to me. I could be 105 and I would be climbing the most dangerous mountains alive. I went exploring at least once a month. Sometimes Jak would follow me if I thought the path was safe for him. Until then, he would be in Daxter's house or Samos' when I left. Nowadays, since he was older, he would watch over the house while I was away. And yet, Jak came more frequently on my explorations as he got older. He was born to be one. A natural, infact._

_Jak was doing wonderful in school, passing every subject.  
"He's a very smart child." Samos once told me, "He can absorb information like a sponge." Jak was also in the extracurricular classes. He took swimming, soccer, and the debate team as par on request by Samos.  
"Why?" he asked one time, "I really don't like to talk back so much."  
"Trust me, kiddo, you're gonna need it." was Samos' answer. Jak shrugged, "Okay." As his answer._

_It greatly amazed me that we kept so much from Jak, yet he never pressured us to tell. He asked questions, yes, and we answered to the best of what we could tell to him, he then smiled, said, "okay" and went about his business. The boy was patient and I was sure that he felt that the answers would be revealed in time.  
The bad part of Jak's age was his magic departing him. He didn't show his magical abilities as frequently as he grew. Samos did speak of how his powers would be more hidden as he grew to better hide him. Perhaps as a self-defense inside his sub consciousness. In return, Jak's physically ability grew. He was starting to develop muscles and often times worked for the villagers by carrying heavy materials.  
The last bad thing would be when Jak would leave the village and return to whence he came from. Once he was ready, he and Samos would leave, returning to their true time. Every year, Samos told me that Jak is one year closer to leaving. I sighed as I thought about this everyday.  
Everyday, Jak's personality and physical strengths remained me greatly of flaws I have made with one particular person. It constantly ate at me and I knew if I didn't confess this portion of my life, I never would, so when Jak was getting ready for bed one night, I decided to confess a deep secret.  
_

_"Jak, a word with you?" I asked.  
"Yea, sure." Jak smiled (Bloody Hell, he always gets me with that smile!)._

_I sat on the edge of his bed. Jak was halfway wrapped in blankets. It was a rather chilly spring night._

_"Jak…I must…confess something." I started.  
"Yea, go on." Jak spoke.  
"I…I…well…I've grown…attach to you." I confessed.  
"…I thought you always were." Jak laughed sheepishly, "I mean, you care about me."  
"Oh, yes, yes…I know, I know, it's just that…I think of you as my son." I continued, "You can say that I'm…trying to make up for my failures."  
"Failures?" Jak asked, "…What did you do?"  
"…Before you came, I used to have a son of my own." I sighed.  
"….Really?" Jak gasped. Good, I got his attention.  
"Yes." I nodded, "He should be a bit older then you, but not by much...if he was still here."  
"Where is he?" Jak asked.  
"…Gone." I whispered, "Where? I do not know. He and I, we explored a lot just like you and me, Jak. The problem was…one day, I lost him while we were exploring…and I never found him again." Jak gasped.  
"…I thought of myself, what a rotten father I was." I sniffed, "Sometimes I wonder if I still am. I cared more of my explorations and ancient relics then about the well-being of my own flesh and blood. " I sniffed back a tear as Jak stood silent.  
"Shortly after he disappeared, you came into my life." I sighed, "I was chosen to watch over you. I thought I was given a second chance. I felt so hopeful. Although sometimes I do wonder if I am just merely replacing my own son. I don't even know if I'm doing a good job."  
"You're doing a great job, uncle." Jak said sincerely, "I understand how you feel, but please, you can't beat yourself up." I sighed and nodded slowly.  
"Is there a reason you're telling me this?" Jak asked.  
"No…no…just thought I let you know." I patted his hand, "Well then, I guess you need your rest. You have school tomorrow."  
"Okay." he nodded. I started to leave.  
"Uncle?" Jak spoke.  
"Yes?" I turned around.  
"I love you." He smiled. I smiled back.  
"I love you, too." Jak blew out the candle in his lamp and fell asleep. I sat on the couch, resting my cane on the arms of the sofa and sighed._

_He did so much good for me and the villagers. He turned my life around. Showed me a greater look in life. I could have explored for a hundred years and not learned as much as I did from Jak over the past 5 years. He was the son I had lost and he would leave soon, making another hole in my heart. Damn it…I wish I never fell in love with him…_

…………………

**Haven City**  
**Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 4 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

_A few days before Jak saw the Pyreflies of Sandover…_

"OW." hissed the Baron.  
"Please, h-hold still, Baron Praxis." came the shaky voice of Vin.  
"Well, maybe if you didn't overuse the damn gauze!" Praxis shouted. Vin cringed, dropping the bloody rag and solvent he was holding.  
"I don't get why you hired me of all people to heal you when you got hundreds of doctors on your knees, my Lord." Vin spoke, though halfway in his mind, he knew better not to.  
"You're the best doctor I know." Praxis answered rather eerily.  
"I-I'm flatter, but I'm not o-officially a doctor, my Lord." Vin gulped.  
"I know." Praxis retorted. He was shirtless so as Vin could heal him. The fight with Jak left quite a number on him, though his condition wasn't as bad as Jak himself. His armor protected him enough.  
Vin started the bandaging as Praxis spoke.  
"Do not think of me so rashly, Vin." Praxis started, "I took your job as minister of science for a reason." Vin continued bandaging, not uttering a word.  
"It is just that…well; you have very close ties to Ashelin and Torn." Praxis continued, "Especially Torn, that traitor." Erol was watching from afar, guarding the door of Praxis' room, once belonging to the King himself. He cringed upon hearing the names of Torn and especially, Ashelin, both names like acid to his face, stinging him wherever he walked  
"I can't risk anything." Praxis raised his voice a bit. It was obvious Vin being here was an excuse for Praxis to try and persuade Vin to let him know should something come up. Vin, however, continued his wrapping, pulling on the reins tightly, making the Baron squirm a little.  
"Your family will understand." Praxis continued, "The mines still pay you plenty for both your wife and child."  
He tightened the last bandage. Praxis got up, flexed his muscles a bit and wore a light white shirt. He started to walk out of his room.

"You may leave, Vin." Praxis ordered. Packing up his bag, Vin slowly, yet clumsily made his way out the door, desperate to escape the pressure he was feeling in that room. It was like he was holding his breath the entire time because poison gas dripped in every corner.  
Erol eyed him closely while Vin left. He took a deep sigh of relief. So far, so good. The baron does not know he is working for the Underground.  
Vin didn't bother to tell him that they had to move to a smaller house because they could not keep up with the payment. Vin's family was born of a rich background. While he and his family were not greedy folks, he just feared greatly that he would not benefit his beloved wife and his son. His payment seems to grow less and less every month or so. What could he do? He was just a normal, ordinary man who worked in the mines. How could he hope to fight the ruler of an entire nation? How could he disappoint his son though by being like such a coward? Shouldn't he be dying for the benefit of his family then serving under a tyrannical lord whom his family detested with all their hearts? What could he do…?

**Haven City**  
**Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 15 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

_Present Time_

"A full two weeks have gone by and yet, still no sign of the mysterious fugitive, Jak Bannon." came a female news reporter, "The Baron has assure us that he is no longer of this world." A scene showed Praxis addressing many reporters from the front yards of the palace, the microphones practically shoved up his nose.  
"He is no more, this Jak Bannon." Praxis started, "My machine has dealt great injuries on him and his wounds have caused him to die. The city is one step safer."  
Reporters kept asking him, ranging from, "Are you sure" to "How can you tell?"  
"I can assure you that he is gone." Praxis continued, "There is no trace left of him when my guards checked."  
"But what of the rumors that he can turn into some mutated monster and the sightings that has proved it?" one male reporter came, "They say his powers give him super strength and causes him to be a beast, surely that was a match for you, Baron."  
"My machines can handle anything!" Praxis shouted, "I would not lie to you, I intend to fight for this city from scums like him! And with the underground's best fighter now burn to the grounds, the rest will fall like baby Yakows in a Crocadog's den!" And with that, Praxis left the annoying reporters and retreated back into the palace. Erol and a group of Krimzon Guards started to push and shove them away.  
"This is Hali Anchors with the Channel 7 news, back to you, Canny."

The TV was clicked off and Torn groaned. He was disgusted at what he saw.

"Only the people of the slums seem to know we're the good ones." Torn spat, "and their opinions doesn't even matter to the majority of this damn kingdom."  
"I wish you do not speak that way of my beloved home." The kid said, sitting next to Torn. Tess was also watching as well as a few other underground members. Ashelin had also dropped by. She constantly checked on her cousin Christof and friend, Torn, making sure he doesn't do anything rash, an irony that Torn tells these very same advices to Jak.  
"Where the HELL is that stupid kid?" Torn shouted, "He's been gone for two weeks now! What the hell does he think is doing, lollygagging around like the world is his precursor egg?"  
"Torn…" Ashelin came in.  
"He has no sense of responsibilities. He's only working just to make the Baron squirm and get his stupid revenge, just so he can do what he did and get himself nearly killed! That selfish brat!" Torn hissed, "Does he think this is some game we're playing? People are dying! And those are the lucky ones. The ones alive are suffering."  
"Torn…" Ashelin repeated.  
"That's it, I have no choice---as soon as I see him, I have to fire him." Torn sighed, "I can't deal with this anymore. He's putting the entire Underground in jeopardy. I mean, I cannot tolerate this any--"  
"That is ENOUGH, Torn." Ashelin stood up, "I believe in Jak, I know that kid can do it!" Torn gave off a slight look of shock.  
"We need him for our fight." Ashelin continued, "My father is corrupted and he needs a huge impact to set him straight. Jak IS that impact."  
"An impact that is causing us to risk our own necks just so he can be selfish and do some stupid stunt!" Torn shouted back.  
"He's doing a great job fighting for our cause!" Ashelin debated back, "And whether he wishes to work for the city or for his own selfish reasons, he has made my father cringed! Nobody has done that in years! He's an immature kid, but he's only a teen and even then he makes better decisions then your average teenager. He's a smart kid"  
"What do you know?" Torn cried, "I had a bad time trusting people because of bad experiences. I gave Jak a chance; he failed to live up to my expectations-"  
"You have to be more patient!" Ashelin shouted, "Problem with you is that you lack patient!"  
"Oh, look who's talking patient!" Torn sarcastically replied, "I swear, you're still stubborn as the day I met you: a little school girl who won't take "no" for an answer."  
"And I still remember your first meeting with me hasn't changed you: a college student who has the ego the size of Haven port!" Ashelin hissed.  
"Why the hell are you praising him like he's your boyfriend?" Torn's face turned red as he went back to the topic of Jak, "You don't like him or anything, do you?"  
"Why, would you be jealous?" Ashelin asked, one hand on her hip, "I guess me breaking up with you was still hit you over the head like a ton of bricks." At that point, the other Underground members made off an "ohhhhhh" sound which lasted until Torn gave them the eye.  
"Face it, you've been sour ever since that break up a year ago." Ashelin pointed, "How many times have I told you the break up was so we could better concentrate on our missions, and to protect us, especially Christof? You know what would happen if father caught me in here with you? Hell, I'm taking a risk just by being here!"

"I AM NOT UPSET BY THE BREAK UP!" It was hard to tell if Torn's face was red from anger or from his stomach turning inside out because of the current subject they were talking about, "We're talking about Jak here!"  
"Oh, don't you start changing the subject, mister!" Ashelin crossed her arms, "Then again, maybe it was great that I broke up, since you're not exactly the world's most tolerable person!"  
"Why you-"  
"Don't _"why you"_ ME!"  
"You never can shut up, can you!"  
"It comes in from being royal!"  
"With a personality like that, you'd be a terrible ruler!"  
"HEY! Shut up! I've been trained like this since day one should Christof not rule and I know a thing about ru-"  
"If you knew HALF the things you were taught, we wouldn't even be-"  
"ENOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!"  
Ashelin and Torn were both silent. Tilting their heads down, they saw a very angry young prince.

"CHILDREN!" the child cried, "You two are nothing but CHILDREN! You fight like one! You all act like one! You behave like them!"  
"Uhh…your majesty, you're technically a kid, too." came an underground member, "So, that analogy wouldn't exactly be-" A glare from the boy managed to stop the member from finishing the sentence, then he commenced his look towards the arguing "couple."  
"You two are not the enemies, that is the Baron himself AND the Metal Heads! We are fighting an almost impossible war and you two waste time arguing like a bunch of angry Lurkers…a married couple even!"  
Torn and Ashelin nearly hung their heads in shame after making weird faces at each other when they both heard the word, "married."  
"Ashelin, I thank you for your time, you may return home before suspicion arise." The kid continued, "Stop the fighting with Torn. You two are friends, for goodness sakes! As a member of the royal family, I expect you to ACT like one! If you are to be my replace me as next ruler should I not take the job as next heir, I will NOT tolerate that attitude and immaturity!"  
"And Sir Torn!" The kid faced his direction, "I don't CARE if you have issues trusting. I don't CARE for whatever past experiences that prompted you to believe in this way, Mr. Jak WILL stay. He is one of the main reasons why hope is returning to the people. I've seen people smile for once out in the slums! Mr. Jak is NOT lollygagging. He is on a personal, but important mission. He WILL return and until then, we shall remain patient until he does. Do I make myself clear, Sir Torn?"  
Torn remained silent. He felt embarrassed. I mean, a child is talking him down for goodness sake! But he knows, he always knew, that the child, despite his age, would always be higher in rank then he is, and Torn knew very well that he is to respect those who were higher then he was.  
"….Yes." Torn responded, with a slight disgust in his face as after seeing his pride wiped off in a clear 10 seconds.  
"Good, now get back to business." The child sighed, "…You are not fire to Mr. Jak. Yell at him all you want, but Mr. Jak is now MY personal responsibilities and I will decide his fate!"  
"Your majesty, it is time for your studies." Kor came in randomly, wobbling towards the crowded members who all groaned in disappointment of such an intense scene ending.  
"I shall be right there, Sir Kor." The kid replied. He eyed the two, and then slowly walked off with Ani following closely behind. The door closed on them.  
"Damn…he's gonna make one heck of a ruler." came an underground member. Torn eyed that particular underground member and groaned as he placed his hand over his face.  
"Married…couple?" Ashelin nervously chuckled, "That'll be the day…"

**Haven Forest**  
**Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 15 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)  
_

The pendent was a godsend. Jak asked where Daxter was and it was leading him. Next thing Jak knew, he was in Haven Forest, a place he didn't wanted to return anytime soon, but couldn't be helped. It didn't help matters that it was snowing as well. Winter pretty much has hit Haven Kingdom and it would not be a few months until it stopped. Jak spent many a day traveling the forest. Now with the pendent, he would not get lost so easily. He would just travel a lot; after all, the forest is a huge place.

What would he say to him?

"I'm sorry, Daxter, please forgive me." Nah, too simple.  
"Hey, Dax…you know you and I are tight, so let's bygones be bygones, eh?" Nah, too informal.  
"PLEASE! PLEASE, DAXTER! I'M SORRY! PLEASE COME BACK!" Goodness gracious, no! Too demanding and too pathetic.  
Jak groaned. He sat on a log, resting his feet, took off his backpack, dug inside it, and took out a bit of hard bread. Jak managed to prepare better. There was an icy pond near his feet and he could see his reflection. The image of a young teenager gone wrong. He sighed. Another small bite. Winter…it would only be a few months before Jak would turn 18. He thought of the irony bestowed before him. Born on a holiday that celebrates purity, something Jak doesn't have. He struggled to swallow the bread. He shut his eyes tightly, and then looked up at the gray clouds. Snow gently fell.  
"I can change." he kept repeating to himself. He ate the rest of his bread, then moved on, sub consciously dusting off the snow off his overcoat despite the snow falling. The pendent glowed once more, leading the way to Daxter. So far, no luck. Jak didn't have Puar with him, so he could not know the time. He could not keep schedules with the others, let alone call them. Jak just slept when it was dark. This time, he managed to pack a tent. After all, he cannot find a cave everyday to sleep in. Another dark night, another time to sleep. And sleep Jak did, in his tent, wrapped in his sleeping bag, with a couple of blankets on top of him. This time, he would not get sick. If he did, he would not return home. A forest this huge and with no one around to find him, Jak would surely die. This time, he cannot cheat death. Too much was at stake, but this was a risk he knew was worth taking. This time, not for his selfish reason, but for the love of his first and best friend ever.

Morning came and lit up the tent. Jak struggled, and then opened his eyes. The sun was up, a rarity with this weather. Rubbing his eyes, Jak groaned and slowly got up. Cold and hungry, Jak dressed and packed his tent. It was repetitive and grueling to pack his tent nearly everyday, but he knew better then to take a gamble on his health. Afterwards, he gathered firewood, made a fire, and cooked breakfast; canned vegetable foods. Quick and easy to make. He ate, he put out the fire, double checking to make sure it was all out, then packed up to leave. This felt like another grueling day, but with the sun heating his back, he had a bit more considered hope. Although halfway into the morning, the cloud became cloudy and gray once more. What a terrible mood killer. Jak once again groaned in frustration and set down in the middle of the snow, distressed. Maybe it was the cold, but Jak couldn't take any more of this and only did what he thought he could;

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY ALREADY!" He raised up, only on his knees, spread his arms and yelled.

But then, what is this? As Jak fell back down to the snow, he heard a rustle in the snow covered bushes. Jak gasped.  
"D-Daxter?" he uttered. Was he so desperate for him that he assumed the rustle in the bush was that familiar orange ottsel fur? He turned around to face the bush regardless. Jak slowly stared at it, not moving. Before he could do anything else, a small orange figure zoomed pass Jak and ran off. Could it be?  
"D-Daxter?" Jak gasped, "DAXTER!" Jak scrambled to his feet and ran after the orange figure.  
"DAXTER!" He shouted, "WAIT! Don't go! I just wanna talk! I came to say I'm SORRY! DAXTER! PLEASE!" But the creature still kept running. Jak didn't come this far to give up and lose the first friend he had ever made, so he kept going. Jak kept running, pushing tree branches, leaping over logs, running over unfrozen waters, all trying to keep up with the ottsel, or so he thought it was. It was hard though. Ottsels were swift creatures who could adapt to the forest very well. To them, Jak's species were big, clumsy, and threatening creatures.  
"Daxter!" Jak gasped, "PLEASE! Let me talk! WHOA!" Jak fell as he came over a cliff. He started to tumble downwards for a good few seconds before crashing onto the hard ground. Jak groaned in pain. He just got over a devastating injury! Jak slowly got up, rubbed his waist and observed his surroundings. Nothing but fogs. Nothing but white mists did he see. Jak gasped. Where did that orange ottsel go? Where? He disappeared. Jak was on his knees, but he was not happy. He stared at his pendent.  
"Help." He uttered, yet nothing came, "Please!" Still nothing. Jak groaned in frustration!  
"What!" He cried, "Is there like some limit as to when I can ask for help!" he cried, "IS THERE? You're just gonna let me die? Never let me find my friend? What kind of beneficial pendent are you!" His voice was loud that it created echoes. Silence struck again as Jak stared at the pendent in agony and defeat. That's it; he was going to die, this time, for real. Then, a soft animal noise came. Jak gasped. He knew that sound! That soft "brrrrrrr", high pitched sound. Ottsels make those! Jak stared at the mist again and soon, a small figure came to him. Jak could hardly hold his breath.  
"Daxter." he whispered. An orange ottsel came from the mists and blankly stared at Jak. Jak stopped smiling. No…it was not Daxter. It was a normal ottsel. Jak slumped down again. He cursed softly.  
The ottsel just stared at him with a blank look. What was this huge creature? He's so fascinating? Is he angry? No, must not interact with it! It then turned around, ready to walk away, but it stared back at the poor figure before it's eyes. Starring once more at the larger figure, the ottsel then made it's noise. Jak stopped moping and stared at the small creature. The ottsel continued to make it's noise and walked, as well as stopped.  
"What? What do you want?" Jak asked. The ottsel continued making it's sound.  
"I don't need you, go on home or something." Jak muttered, "I need Daxter…I NEED BLOODY DAXTER!" The creature twirled around a bit and gestured for Jak.  
"…Do you want me to go with you?" Jak gasped. The ottsel made another sign and continued to walk. Jak sighed, "…Okay."  
"Please don't lead me into some ruddy death trap." Jak mumbled, starring at the sky. He walked, keeping an eye on the ottsel who walked in front so Jak could keep up. The mists and fogs seem to move endlessly and Jak wondered if the ottsel was merely toying with him. But as the mist started to clear, Jak lost that train of thought. The ottsel lead him through a dark cave. Jak was initially confused, but the ottsel urged him. Jak nodded, sighed, took a big gulp, and then went in. What Jak saw next was beyond anything he has ever seen…

Green trees. Flowing mini-waterfalls. Flowers of different shapes and colors. Butterflies flying in every corner. Birds singing in every part of the tree branches. The sky, blue with white, puffy clouds despite just outside the cave, it was gray and cloudy, read to snow. Jak gasped. Paradise! Was he…dead? He then stared at the animals besides him; Ottsels! Lots and LOTS of ottsels! There was an entire tribe of them or something! Jak couldn't believe it! He had never seen so many ottsels in his life! Orange ones, Brown ones! Black and White ones! Yellow ones! Pink ones! Lavender ones! Ottsels of colors, it's like they all came pouring out of a rainbow. The ottsels were sleeping, playing, frolicking, and eating. They were of all sizes: big, small, fat, skinny. Mother ottsels with baby ottsel babies, big proud ottsels that looked as of they were guarding their clan. Jak couldn't believe his eyes. They were so lively and filled with warmth, free from predators and dangers, so of course, the ottsels stopped their activities when they saw Jak. Everything was dead silent.  
"Oh, crap." Jak gulped. The ottsel that led Jak here spoke with the other ottsels in it's own language. An outbreak broke with many ottsels angry.  
"I don't think I'm welcome here." Jak gulped. Soon, the ottsels calmed down and the one who lead Jak here urged for him to come. Jak shrugged and followed. As he walked pass, the ottsels, big and small, fat and skinny, eyed him dangerous, looking ready to strike him dead. Ottsels, they travel in pack. They could kill a fully grown person like Jak in a group alone. Jak had to be careful not to step on any tails or whatnot. The furry creatures surrounded him, making it difficult for Jak to get through. It's like they wanted him to step on their tails just so they'd have an excuse to gauge his eyes out.

The ottsel lead Jak into a small hole.

"You've got to be kidding me." Jak sighed as he watched the ottsel go in. Placing his backpack down gently, Jak ducked and crawled into the tight hole. Not enough fit. Jak groaned. His jacket was too loose and got in the way for a small hole. Noticing how surprisingly warm the weather was, Jak took off his overcoat. Tying his hair back in a ponytail, Jak struggled as he crawled into the cave. He wondered if his stuff would be maimed by the ottsels by the time he got out.  
"Wherever you're taking me, it had better be worthwhile!" Jak groaned, struggling to push his way in the cramped tunnel. Once inside, he was in a giant underground cave. The ceiling was low enough that Jak had to slouch his back. The ottsel that led Jak here started to talk with the other ottsels. The ottsels then spread to other ottsels and onwards until they reached an ottsel into a large hole, but still small that Jak would have to fit inside it as well. Jak sighed as he got on his knees. He didn't want a hunchback.  
The ottsels all came out and fashioned themselves properly, making their noises as ever.  
"Hmm, maybe I'll meet their leader." Jak spoke to himself, "It seems that way." An ottsel came Jak's way and when he saw that ottsel, he nearly had a heart attack.

"DAXTER!" He shouted.  
"WAH! JAK!" Daxter screamed. The ottsels spoke with him and Daxter spoke back in ottsel language.  
"D-Daxter?" Jak said, more weakly this time.  
"Hey, there, buddy." Daxter grinned, "Good to see ya! How are you feeling? Are you okay? You healed yet?"  
"Am I healed yet!" Jak gasped, "What on Precursors is going on?"  
"Oh, this?" Daxter started, "Well, if you haven't noticed, it's an ottsel tribe! The only one left."  
"The only one?" Jak gasped.  
"I suppose I have to start from the top." Daxter chuckled.  
"Yea, I think that'll be a BLOODY FINE idea indeed!" Jak sarcastically responded. And Daxter told his tale.  
"After I ran out from you, I decided to go to Haven Forest to relax and blow off some steam. It felt the most comfortable for me for some reason. I guess it's me being an ottsel and all. Any who, I wandered around aimlessly, not knowing that I would travel so far. I got so used to nature in an instant! I hunted for food and everything! My ottsel instincts must be kicking in! Any who, during my time in the forest, I felt this strange feeling inside me. I'm not so sure how to describe. Kinda like my stomach after I ate about 40 bars of chocolate, gurgling and churning. Any who, I then ran. I ran and ran and ran! I couldn't stop! I didn't wanted to stop. I felt hypnotized. I think I was. A voice came into me, saying to keep going, find it! I didn't know what I was suppose to find, but I soon realized I was running past a misty area. I wondered, how will I see? But I kept running. I ran and ran and ran…then I stopped. I was here, in this ottsel colony. This was a strange place. An area not snowed in, an area with blue skies. I thought I was dead…after all, I saw ottsels! I thought I was the only one left!  
The ottsels comforted me and took care of me. I told them where I was from and the outside world in general. They were fascinated. They took me to the head ottsel, the King and Queen, if you wish to call them, and I told them my stories. Next thing I knew, I became a part of the royal court. I entertained all the ottsels of my adventures and my outside experiences. I told them about you, Jak. So, I guess it was naturally that this ottsel saw ya and thought you were Jak."  
"Well, I was calling out for you." Jak shrugged.  
"I see." Daxter nodded, "Well, it's good to see ya, pal."

"G-Good--"As much as he struggled to say the right words, nothing came out. Jak just stood silent. That's it? Daxter got pissed off at him and now, he's in a good mood? Jak nearly died to find him, for a long time now, wondering day in and out on how he was gonna apologize to him. How he prepared himself for the worst when he would meet him and he's HAPPY? That is so…like Daxter! He was one to quickly change his grumpy attitude by the next day, but Jak couldn't help feeling guilty and a bit wasted. He searched for a week for his friend.  
"Jak, you okay, buddy?" Daxter asked, his hands cocked onto his waist. Jak stared at Daxter and smiled slightly.  
"I'm fine." he nodded, and then he hugged Daxter, "I'm just glad you're okay." Daxter hugged back.  
"Hey, same here, buddy." Daxter smiled, "Now then, we gotta get you properly accepted. Wait here." Daxter went inside the hole. Jak waited for a while, and then he saw his friend return with the King and Queen. They were taller then most ottsels and certainly more elegant. Their fur were more slicker and soft, their eyes more glassy and beautiful. Even their postures and expression screamed "King and Queen of the Ottsel Tribe."  
"You see, the Ottsels don't take so kindly to you, Jak." Daxter started.  
"No, really?" Jak sarcastically replied, "I left my backpack and overcoat in there, I'm getting worried."  
"Hey, the ottsels never met you before; they view you as a threat." Daxter continued, "This is the only Ottsel tribe left, Jak. Over 300 left, yet no more then 500 in here. That's a not a whole lot, Jak." Jak nodded in agreement.  
"I convinced the King and Queen that you're an ally." Daxter stated, "They'll address the other ottsels. If you want to add anything, you can. Ottsels understand your language." Jak nodded.

They went outside where the head ottsels spoke. Jak noticed his backpack and jacket was intact. He sighed in relief. The ottsels gave shouts of hate when the head ottsels were done. The head ottsels were calm, allowing such insults. Deep inside, Jak knew that even the head ottsels had their signs of reluctance.  
"Oooh, tough crowd." Daxter looked.  
"What are they saying?" Jak asked.  
"You REALLY don't wanna know." Daxter answered, "You better start the convincing."  
"Uhhh…excuse me." Jak cleared his throat, "He-Hello…may I speak?" The head ottsels calmed the tribe down and Jak spoke.  
"Uhhh…I know this is awkward, someone like me coming in like this." Jak sheepishly laughed, "But I'm a good guy. I'm not here to harm you guys. I only came for Daxter, my friend. He told you guys of me. I-I won't do anything bad, I promise. You have my word." Jak smiled sheepishly. The ottsels agreed, but was reluctant. Mixed feelings blared. Some ottsels who still couldn't get over a species like Jak entering their private paradise left for their home. Others, more trustworthy, just nodded, willing to give him a chance.  
"Well, I guess maybe the best choice is rest." Daxter commented, "You look like you need it." Jak nodded.  
"It's amazing a giant mist blocks this paradise and Haven Forest." Jak started, "No snow has reached here. Amazing."  
"This place is called the Forest Coves." Daxter pointed out, "The ottsels are safe from predators because of the mist. Only the ottsels can find their way in and out of the mist. We're so used to it by now. You're the first outsider (besides me) who has ever set foot here."  
"I see." Jak nodded, "Ottsels are rare and hunters could come after them. This place needs to be kept in secret, right?"  
"You betcha." Daxter nodded, "I know I can count on you, veggie boy." Jak nodded. Maybe that is why the pendent stopped glowing, to protect the Ottsels, or maybe because it already fulfilled its task as a guide to Daxter.  
"Why is this place the only place where no snow has reached?" Jak asked, "It's like I died and entered the world beyond."  
"I don't know...maybe it's just the mysteries of this planet, Jak." Daxter answered, then he made an answer he knew Jak would understand the most, "Maybe the Precursors had something to do with it." Jak, smiling, nodded.

Jak didn't sleep well that night. A paradise should easily put Jak to sleep, but he couldn't. Not with Daxter looming over his mind. Daxter, he's wandering around the Ottsel tribe like his reactions to Jak nearly two weeks ago were cakewalk. This IS normal Daxter behavior and Jak usually accepts it, but he just couldn't accept it this time, he just couldn't! His stomach was hurting from guilt. Jak curled in his fetal position like he was cold, but he was just unbearably uncomfortable. He slept little that night.

**Haven Forest**  
**Month 11: **Numoria,_ Day 16 (Fall Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads) _

"So, Jak, when are we leaving?" Daxter asked. It was morning and the ottsels were eating their breakfast: berries. Jak, too, ate the berries, just for the hell of it. Of course, he stopped when Daxter asked that question. After all this time, he wanted to come back to Jak? For some reason, Jak felt uncomfortable yet again. He didn't answer right away.  
"Jak, hello? HELLO?" Daxter cried, "HEY!"  
"S-Sorry." Jak apologized. He wanted to apologize, but this wasn't it.  
"Well, when are we leaving?" Daxter asked.  
"I'm leaving today." Jak softly responded.  
"Okay." Daxter nodded, "I better tell the others soon." Jak nodded.

Afternoon rolled by. Jak started to pack up his supplies. He felt reluctant to leave such a nice paradise back into the harsh cold, but that's reality for ya. Daxter was saying his good-byes. Jak still grew uncomfortable. He was hurting inside. He couldn't understand why. It worried him.

"Okay, I'm ready to go!" Daxter announced. The ottsels watched in sorrow. In only the short week and a half that they knew of Daxter, they already couldn't hold their tears.  
"I promise to come visit sometime!" Daxter cried out, "Until then, stand tall!" Daxter waved, and then climbed on Jak's shoulder.  
"Come on, let's skedaddle!" Daxter shouted proudly. Daxter leaped up and landed on Jak's shoulder. The infamous duo was about to move if not for a panicking ottsel coming out of nowhere. It started to speak real loudly in it's language. The other Ottsels panicked.  
"What! What's going on!" Jak gasped.  
"It's Tuto!" Daxter gasped. He leaped out of Jak's shoulder and quickly ran in the directions the other ottsels took.  
"Wait, you guys have names!" Jak shouted. No one answered.  
Jak shrugged and followed. He followed the ottsels, going into paths he has never even seen before in his short time in Forest Cove. This paradise was a hell of a lot bigger then he imagined. He stopped when the crowd of ottsels did. They all stared up. Jak gasped and did the same. There was a small baby ottsel hanging onto the rims of a cliff for dear life. If he let go, he would fall into a watery grave as a waterfall was right below him.  
"Holy Crap!" Daxter screamed, "Jak, we gotta do something!" The other ottsels could only stare in horror, not knowing what to do other then anguish over the situation. The steep waterfall mountain was too steep for even the most expert of ottsel climbers. How the little one got up that far was a feat no other ottsels could stomach, as well as a big mystery.  
"JAK! Daxter urged. Jak nodded. Daxter leaped onto his shoulder and Jak started to climb the tall mountain. Climbing the mountain was no problem for someone as big as Jak. While ottsels would have a hard time, Jak had absolutely no problem getting up. The other ottsels watched in amazement. While the majority didn't care for Jak, they were concerned about Daxter.  
Once Jak reached near the top, he tried to grab the baby ottsel who was just across from him. The waterfall split the two.  
"Daxter, try to reach him!" Jak struggled, extending his arms as best as he could. Daxter nodded and climbed to the edge of Jak's hand where he tried to reach Tuto.  
"Not long enough!" Daxter cried, "We need to get him from above!" Jak nodded and continued to climb. Once at the top, Jak leaped over some stepping stones on the waterfall, then stared down at the cliff. He was pretty damn high. A small but sturdy branch was just below him.  
"Oh, shit." he mumbled. Jak slowly, but surely let his upper body hang down from the branch so he could reach Tuto.  
"Tuto, grab!" Jak shouted. Of course, Tuto, being an ottsel who has never eyed Jak's kind for more then a day, was too scare to grab onto Jak's hand, not to mention one wrong move could cost him his life. The other ottsels kept watching in dread.  
"It'll be okay!" Jak shouted. He extended his arm as far as he could, "Daxter!" Daxter nodded and slowly went down to the edge of Jak's hand. There, Daxter extended his arm to try and reach Tuto.  
"Come on, Tuto, come on!" Daxter urged, "Grab my hand! Come on!" Daxter extended as far as he could. Jak's face was turning red and he was slowly slipping. His two feet tightly gripping onto the branch.  
"Daxter…I'm…falling!" Jak could barely utter a word. His grip on the wet branch was slowly losing.  
"Keep holding, I almost got him!" Daxter shouted, "Tuto, grab my arm!" He repeated in ottsel language. Slowly, Tuto extended his arm to reach Daxter's.  
"That's it! That's it!" Daxter cried, "Ya got it! Ya got it! Just a bit further!"  
"DAXTER…hurry!" Jak gasped, he could feel his legs slip away from the branch.  
"Just a bit longer, Jak!" Daxter shouted. He could no longer extend his arm. He could only pray Tuto could. Slowly, ever so slowly, Tuto and Daxter's paws finally touched. Tuto let go of his other arm and was now hanging limply with Daxter as his main support.  
"I got him! I GOT HIM!" Daxter shouted, "Pull us up, Jak!"  
"TRYING!" Jak groaned, "I…"  
"JAK!" Daxter screamed in full panic. Too late, Jak's leg lost its grip and the three fell in the water. Jak, however landed first, making him Daxter and Tuto's mattress of safety.  
The other ottsels gasped in horror. Squeaks and other ottsel sounds murmured as the bubbles in the water started to slowly disappear. Were they…dead? They waited and waited…nothing. Nothing...

"BWAH!" Jak gasped as he swam back up to the surface. In his arms were Daxter who held Tuto. The ottsels cheered. They cheered even as Jak got himself and his friends out of the water. Jak gasped for air as he lied there on the ground, his cheeks still very red. Daxter did, too while Tuto was taken by his parents to their home. When Daxter got up, the other ottsels surrounded him and lifted him up, chanting on how much of a hero he was. Being Daxter, he appreciated the hero status, even though Jak played a part, too. The other ottsels ignored him. Jak didn't mind. He was more concerned on Daxter's look He was so…happy.

They stayed another night to let Daxter rest. Daxter started to tell the little Ottsels stories that he randomly thought of in his head. Jak watched from a distance corner. He was happy…truly happy. What would happen if Jak just took Daxter away from the one place he truly belongs to?  
Daxter was no longer Jak's species. His skin now had fur. He was shorter. His ottsel instincts were kicking up at a fast rate. If Jak left Daxter, chances are, Daxter would be more ottsel then who he used to be. He would no longer speak Jak's language, no longer act the way he used to be…Daxter would be completely ottsel…and maybe that's for the best. Jak trembled at the thought of losing his beloved friend, but it couldn't be helped. He dragged Daxter into a hell of a lot of trouble; here was a chance for Daxter to live in harmony, like he wanted. Jak got up, looked over the tribe and Daxter one more time, and then left. He'll find some way out of the mist. This was his way of apologizing…

Jak must've wandered the mist for, what, 3 minutes before Daxter called out to him. Jak didn't stop, knowing it would be wise not to.  
"JAK!" he called again, Jak kept going.  
"JAAAAAAAAAAK!" Again he kept moving.  
"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" Jak groaned and stopped, trying to hold the tears back.  
"Why are you leaving without me?" Daxter asked, almost feeling heartbroken. Jak slightly gasped and turned around. Surprised results. He's eyes were sparkling from the tears clinging on his eyelids and his mouth was gaped open as he struggled to speak.  
"Jak…am I not your friend?" Daxter asked softly. Jak's head was slightly low.  
"….Yea, I love that I met some other ottsels and they're all nice and accepting, but this isn't my home." Daxter spoke, "I was never an ottsel to begin with." Jak stared at Daxter, listening to ever word.  
"I said some hurtful things, I admit. I admit that I said I hated you, but I didn't mean that. I was just SO frustrated with you and how you've changed. Change can be a good thing…but only if done in an appropriate way…but that doesn't change the fact that my life with you isn't fulfilling…because it is. I'm glad to be with you." Daxter continued, "You've changed my life a lot. Sure, you put me in a lot of danger, but that's the price I'll pay to be with ya. Friendship also means sacrifice, ya know."

Jak stood silent, but was in shock at his kind words.

"I belong with you! You and Kiera and Samos and Tess and even Torn!" Daxter cried out, "You're my best friend, Jak…my first friend."  
"………You're my first friend, too." Jak spoke softly.  
"I know." Daxter grinned, eyes half closed. Typical Daxter look, "Sorry for the harsh words." Then Jak just started to have a breakdown as he literally bawled like a baby as he lowered himself down to Daxter's level.  
"NO…it's me who should be sorry!" Jak cried out. The tears wouldn't stop. How many times has he cried in his stay in the future?  
"How many times was I such an idiot? Thinking revenge was the only way that would satisfy me? HOW was that gonna get me BACK HOME? To my friends? To my uncle? I MISS HIM SO MUCH and all I did was waste time trying to kill people to GET to a person I wanted to kill! I want to go back to him! See him, even if it's for a few minutes! When did my life started to change so radically? And even worse, I almost lost your friendship. How could I put revenge over my best friends? I don't even know where Samos and Kiera are! These goggle on my head and you…they're the ONLY TIES I HAVE LEFT OF SANDOVER…and I almost…wrecked it." The last words he uttered ever so softly.

"I want to…change."

Daxter, who was silent throughout the whole ordeal, came up to Jak and placed a paw on his shoulder.  
"Wherever we go, whatever we do, as long as we keep memories of who we truly are, I don't care what we do." Daxter softly said. Jak eyed Daxter, once more wearing a surprised face.  
"Come on; let's go back to Haven City." Daxter smiled. Jak couldn't do anything…he just…smiled. He hugged the little ottsel who hugged back. The ottsels from the tribe all watched. Jak eyed them back.  
"They know I'm leaving." Daxter smiled, then he stared at them, "I'll visit sometimes, you guys! I promise!" The ottsels cheered. Jak smiled. His tears finally stopped and were met with rosy cheeks.

The two waved good-bye and left. The little ottsel, Tuto, squeaked.  
"What did he say?" Jak asked.  
"He said…"Thank you, Mr. Jak, please come visit our tribe again." Daxter interpreted. Perhaps this was the start of a beautiful relationship between ottsels and precursians. As the two heroes walked, the ottsels waved and cheered. It wasn't just for Daxter; they saved their cheers and waves for Jak as well. Thus ends another chapter in Jak and Daxter's neverending friendship...  
**To Be Continued**


	14. Blessings of Thy Miracle Child

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part II: The Precursor Stone  
Chapter 14: Blessings of thy Miracle Child**

_Athletic, smart, and kind, these were three ultimate traits that defined Jak the most. He could twist and turn back flips like no one's business or punch a guy in the nose with precise aim, his mind acted in a way that any information he usually paid attention it, it usually ends up absorbed to his brain like a sponge, and he was almost always kind, hardly rude unless he needed to be.  
It never occurred to me that artistic and creativity was to be added in his list as well. Now, art doesn't 100 define him. He told me he couldn't draw to save his life and truth be told (I hate to be rude), he really cannot draw. He cannot play any known instrument (although I've heard from a few students that he can sing pretty decently). Instead, his artistic talent lied elsewhere, as I was about to witness when Jak came in one day from school._

_"You look worried." I commented, his back slumped, backpack strap on one of his shoulder then his usual two.  
"Yea…well, I'm stuck being concerned because I have to write…" he trailed off, like he was embarrassed.  
"Write…" I urged him, expecting more, although halfway in my head, I wondered why he would be so worried about writing. He passes English with flying colors, although he needs to work on his Math.  
"….I have to write a play." he mumbled a little. I could barely make it out.  
"A play!" I gasped, a bit shocked, then I reverted to puzzled, "…Why are you so down on writing a play?"  
"Well, it came more or less through blackmail." Jak sat down on the dining table, "Involving my writing notebook."  
"Ooooh, your notebook." I nodded. Jak carried a red notebook around at all times, writing whatever it is that he wrote. I never paid too much attention to it.  
"This I like to hear." I went over and got some tea and crumpets ready so we would have something to do while I listen. He started his story of the day…_

…………………

_"Well, it started on my usual day of school. Before the start of school actually. I was sitting on my favorite bench in the front yard of the school. I usually sit there before school starts, writing in my notebook. What a lot of people don't know is that it's my notebook where I put in my thoughts and writings. Any who, school bell rings and I run to my class, carrying my books in a haste manner. Naturally, because I was trying to reach class in time and I was carrying a lot of books, I dropped my notebook on the bench area, not aware of it for a while.  
I noticed my notebook was missing when it was lunch time. I was in a big panic, so I went out to backtrack. Daxter and Kiera helped. We searched and searched, until we got to the bench area and found that my notebook wasn't there. I was so depressed and very fearful. I thought someone would read my notebook…and unfortunately, someone did…_

_"Who?" I asked.  
"…….Zera Vonahorn."  
"Zera? Isn't she the most dramatic kid in your school? That talented actress as well?" I asked, just to make sure.  
"Yea, and pompous and rude and popular." Jak spat in disgust, "I don't like her much. Always so mean to Daxter and all the underdogs."  
"Oh, I see." This was that rare case when Jak would insult someone._

………………

_"Any who, to my surprise, she came to speak with me." Jak continued to narrate, stuffing a crumpet in his mouth.  
"Well, well, if it isn't miracle kid himself?" Zera spoke as I searched behind the bench.  
"Huh?" I promptly banged my head on the bench, "OW!"  
"I bet you're looking for a notebook…a red notebook." She spoke.  
"YEA! YEA! I am!" I cried, "Do you know where it is…wait…how did you know I had a red notebook?"  
"Simple, miracle kid, I have it!" Then she whipped out my red notebook!  
"You found it! Thank you! Thank you!" I tried to grab it, but she pulled it away from me.  
"Nah uh-uh." Zera started, "If you want your notebook back, then ya gotta do something for me."  
"…Huh? What? Why?" I gasped, "It's just my notebook."  
"Ya got some interesting stuff in this here notebook." Zera flipped through the pages like it didn't matter to her!  
"You READ my personal writings?" I shouted. She nodded, "WHY? These are personal! Didn't you notice the "Keep Out, Private!" sign written on it?"  
"Please, any non-geeky teenager would ignore that and just read it. "Keep Out" signs are a DEAD giveaway to others that they WILL end up reading it." Zera scoffed, "But I'm not here to insult your art, but to praise it."  
"Huh?" I gasped. Zera was never known to praise underdogs and people she didn't see anywhere near her level of popularity.  
"Geez, you're such a dumb blonde." Zera groaned, "Look, I like your personal writings and stuff. They're very deep and meaningful. I didn't realize you could do these types of things. Heh, what did I expect from miracle kid? You put a smile in everyone."  
I was silent.  
"Look, a trade. I'll return your notebook in time if you write something for me." Zera proposed.  
"…Okay?" I was unsure, "What do I write about?"  
"You know our school does a major play each year, right?" Zera pointed, I nodded, "Well, we can't find a good play, so the director told me to find a good writer. I guess he trusts me and all since I'm the best and talented and most artistic person in this entire school. So, after pointless searching, I found you."  
"Well…what do you want me to do?" I gulped. She groaned, one hand on her flowing red hair.  
"Ya DUMB blonde, I want YOU to write a play for us by the near end of school!" She shouted, "Sheesh, why are you so dumb?"  
"I'm not; I 'm just caught off guard. People like you don't usually speak to people like me." I pointed out.  
"What do you mean "people like you?" She took it a bit offensively.  
"I meant you're all popular and well loved…I'm…well, people just know me, but I'm not popular." I shrugged.  
"I see." Zera nodded, "Of course I'm popular…it runs in the family. Any who, get crackin', dumb blonde, and it had better "wow" the audience; otherwise, your notebook goes bye-bye." She threatened to tear it apart. She walked out, holding the notebook, knowing she wouldn't return it back until the play was over. That would be a long time. I was angry, I was upset. She read my personal stuffs and she expected ME to do something! And she called me a "dumb blonde."  
"For your information…!" I shouted, "I'm NOT a dumb blonde! My hair is naturally GREEN!"_

_"That's my story…."  
"So…you're going to what again?" I asked Jak.  
"Write the play." Jak answered.  
"What? But she blackmailed you, insulted you, and you take the full brunt of it?" I gasped, "You just do what she tells you to?" Jak nodded.  
"These are the kind of things you tell the principal, Jak." I suggested.  
"Maybe this is a good opportunity." Jak spoke in a positive manner, "Maybe I can challenge my writing skills this way." I sighed, how could he think so optimistically?  
"Besides, she promised not to tell anyone what I wrote in it…despite her personality, I believe her."  
"….Do you?" I asked, just to make sure.  
"Everybody has good inside…everybody deserves a second chance." Jak smiled._

_I nodded. I had much to learn from this boy. What would surprise me (especially Samos), was the play itself…_

………………

**Haven City**  
**Month 12: **Ouinta,_ Day 3 (Fall/Winter Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"Haven City…home!" Daxter nearly broke down in tears, but instead started to kiss the snowy ground. Whether they liked it or not, Haven City was Jak and Daxter's new home. Snow came once again, gently falling down, making the city look at least somewhat beautiful.  
"Come on, we gotta get to Torn and incur his wrath." Jak urged. He started to walk, passing Daxter who quickly climbed on top of the tall blonde's shoulder.

A bit of travel, but the duo managed to make it back by lunchtime, although they were stopped a couple of times in the slums by little children who wished for Daxter to dance for them. After all, as far as anyone was concerned, Daxter was a non talking ottsel, trained by his owner to dance for money. Jak gave the kids a free dance from Daxter who happily entertained (and showed off) them before moving on. There, they reached the entrance to the secret base. Jak and Daxter prepared for yet another of Torn's rage of rampage, but upon entering the front door, Torn, sitting on his office desk, stared at the two and grinned.

"He's grinning, something's wrong!" Daxter whispered to Jak, "Quick, we have to dismantle him, he's obviously a robot!"  
"Daxter, hush!" Jak said, rolling his eyes at Daxter's prospect towards Torn, although it was weird that Torn was calm and grinning of all things despite their near three weeks absences.  
"Welcome back, boys."  
"Hello." Both Jak and Daxter answered, keeping a distance between them and Torn, lest this was a front he put up before he would explode.  
"The Shadow has decided it's time to meet you." Torn had his arms crossed.  
"The Shadow…" Jak gasped. Several times he has asked Torn for the Shadow, each with a harsh, "no." Jak heard many good things about the Shadow, but now, he would actually see him.  
As the two spoke, Daxter's short attention span gazed over pass Torn. He eyed a short, stubbly looking man. With the light hanging over Torn's desk shining over the stubby man, he was hard to make out.  
"Shadow…" Torn gave the floor to the Shadow who turned around to speak.

"So, you're the new recruits who keep getting into trouble."  
"Oh-No, not you!" Daxter cried out. Jak gasped, his pupils turned just as small as Daxter's.  
"Welcome to our humble Underground movement. I am known as the Shadow, but you can call me Samos. And you are?"  
"Sheesh Jak, we went through all that to meet his holiness, ol' log on the head, grandpa green!" Daxter retorted, leaping down from Jak's shoulder. Jak remained silent for a good few seconds before he got the breath to speak again.  
"Don't you know who we are?" Jak spurted out.  
"Sorry kid... never seen you before... and I never forget a face... especially one that ugly." The man who claimed himself as Samos pointed straight to Daxter.  
"So it begins…" Daxter spoke.  
"How is this possible? We came through the rift with you... into the future...right?" Jak shouted.  
"What?" Torn scratched his head.  
"…Oh…(Bloody Hell, Torn doesn't know me and Dax are from the future, I can't tell him yet)…it's just…it's…old humor." Jak laughed sheepishly, "A little story I made up…" Torn groaned, a bit unconvinced, but he would rather hear about it later, "Any who, don't you remember?"  
"Yeah! You used to look older than dirt and uglier than a knotted stump. What gives? Did you get a little nip and tuck while we were gone?" Daxter stretched his eyes out, pissing Samos off.  
"Listen boys, I don't know what kind of things you've been chewing on, but I don't have time for this. We've got a Baron to overthrow, a child heir to protect, an invasion of Metal Heads to stop, and a kingdom to save. I'd say the schedule's pretty full!" Samos cried out, getting to the heart of the matter (plus, he already couldn't stand Daxter), "Besides, I haven't gone through any rifts. I hate teleporting!" He eyed Torn's ragged maps, as if making up a plan already.  
"Sure sounds like the ol' Samos." Daxter had his arms crossed.  
"This is confusing…I don't understand." Jak muttered to himself, apparently, despite others surrounding him.  
"This is madness, I'll tell ya that!" Daxter had his arms crossed still, then his eyes were once again, wide, "…I just notice you have an afro." Jak stared deeply at this…Samos. Yea…it sure looked like him. His clothes were different, his hair was more lush and green, his beard was just a tiny little thing compare to the Samos Jak and Daxter knew, the bird on Samos' log was now an orange egg with blue stripes…everything about him just screamed lush. He did seem like a younger version of Jak and Daxter's Samos.  
"You're right, Torn, the ottsel DOES talk." Samos gasped.  
"Yea, it's getting him to shut up that's the trick." Torn commented. Daxter groaned. He had enough insults for one day.  
"So…you are this _"Jak Bannon"_ kid, the one who keeps tackling the big problems." Samos came closer to the young blonde, "The one who apparently gives Torn a hard time."  
"Bannon is NOT my last name." Jak cleared his throat, annoyed, "…It's a long story on that matter."  
"Well, I gotta admit, from all the newspaper and all the stories behind ya, you sound like a dangerous little child." Samos started (Who was he to call Jak "little"?), "I appreciate your work and how much you've dealt a hard one on the Baron, but I don't want you doing anything stupid." Jak started to speak before Samos continued.  
"I've heard of how you handled the mess with Praxis without given permission…that was a pretty damn idiotic thing to do." Samos raised his voice, lecturing Jak like he was his only son. Jak sighed, taking in the verbal abuse, knowing he was right to pull off something stupid and selfish like that.  
"…Yes, sir…I know I did a crappy thing." Jak started, "…I promise never to do such a heinous act like that again." He sounded slightly sarcastic, but there was honesty in his speech.  
"Next time you do something stupid, it'll be from our orders, clear!" Samos pointed, acting as though Jak's word meant nothing to him.  
"As crystal." Jak bowed like some polite gentleman, although once again, it had an honest, yet sarcastic feel. It was enough to startle Torn and even Samos, especially considering what Torn spoke about Jak, "Now…can one of you please take me to Prince Christof, provided he's here? I miss him terribly. I hope he's alright."  
Torn and Samos, mouths slightly open, both pointed to the young prince's private room.  
"Thank you." Jak nodded, and he walked off. The two watched him walk, Daxter clinging onto his shoulder as usual.

Once there, the two eyed the kid coming out of his room upon Jak's knock and hugging him. Jak hugged back. It was like two brothers reuniting after a long search.  
"I missed you, Mr. Jak." The kid cried. It would take a mountain to make someone as strong willed as the child to cry like banshee. Apparently, Jak was that mountain. While Jak didn't cry, he just smiled and answered, "Same here, kiddo, same here."  
"…Funny…he doesn't sound very…rebellious." Samos gestured, "Maybe a bit sarcastic…and unique."  
"Yea…he doesn't…" Torn gasped, "What happen, a robot replacement, a clone, what? And they acted as though they knew you, Samos."  
"Yes…quite peculiar." Samo placed a hand under his chin, "Wild imagination…I suppose."

………………

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 12: **Ouinta,_ Day 20 (Fall/Winter Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

Morning felt like a familiar breeze, right down to Puar's usual morning exercise.

"MORNING EXERCISE! WAKE UP!"

And of course, Daxter would usually run away like a headless chicken while Jak merely rubbed his eyes, seeing as he was used to getting up early anyways. Breakfast was a godsend. Thank you, Tess, miracle cooker. And the missions were the usual, usual. Torn kept a closer eye on Jak, seeing his shocked surprise on seeing Jak more…calmer and nicer then usual.

"Are you sure you're not a robot?" Torn joked, though he was somewhat half serious.  
"I'm not! STOP ASKING!" Jak shouted, as his usual answer.  
"Well, he's yelling, sure sounds like the old Jak I know." Torn groaned. Everything was familiar, but hell, Jak liked it all the same. Of course, he still couldn't get over the fact that this Samos was the Shadow, not to mention it was Samos! The very same Samos who tortured poor Daxter by making him do chores, the same Samos who was Jak's mentor and conscience, the same grumpy Samos. It' has only been about a month, but he couldn't get it over with…at least, not yet. What would he tell Kiera if he ever saw her?

Kiera…it's been years since he last saw his childhood friend. In about a good few months, it would be exactly three years since he last saw her. How would Kiera react on Jak's sudden change? Yes, he's trying to be more calmer, more nicer, and to much degrees, it's working, but he was still easily irritated, still easily pissed, still cursing a stream of words (though he has a tendency to not say the much bigger, badder words), and other little personality traits that his younger form never had problems with. What would Kiera say? Would she like the "New Jak?" His old motto, "Everyone has a good inside and deserves a second chance" seems to have flied out the window when he met the Baron. Jak thought of this often before he went to sleep.

………………

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 13: **Einta,_ Day 1 (Winter Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

"I want you boys to escort the kid over to Kor at the Power Station. He promised to look out for the boy, and I'm just too busy to baby-sit right now. " Samos came to Jak one day. Jak was on his bed, reading a book when Samos barged in, so Jak's reaction was an appropriate one…  
"Huh?"  
"Oh, and take the kid's Crocadog with you!" Samos continued to speak, ignoring Jak's supposed answer. Jak noticed the kid was next to Samos, Ani the crocadog growling over Samos nearby. The child's expression was a pleasing one. He was too happy to be with Jak. Ani continued to growl at Samos and at Jak. The dog didn't fully trusted Jak and certainly not the decision on him taking the kid, the one Ani watched over like a hawk.  
"Oh, hee... hee... isn't he sweet?" Samos gulped, and then reverted to his commanding form, "Take the kid and the mutt to the Power Station. Watch out for guard patrols and defend the kid at all costs. Oh... and if you happen to lose the Crocadog... " Samos backed away from the growling crocadog who bared its teeth.

Jak saw the look on the child's face. He was already dressed warmly and eager to go. Jak got up and started to wear his overcoat, his red scarf acting as his…well, scarf. Before they left the headquarters, Torn wanted to have a word with him. Telling the kid to stay put for a while, Jak and Daxter entered his office and came out a couple of minutes later, faces sly and grinning. The kid could hear Torn grumbling. What happened in there?

Snow fell gently when the gang were out. Jak had his usual indigo overcoat with red scarf. The child had on a long coat, snow boots, a white scarf, and gloves as well. Googles were given to the kid incase the snow turned into a harsh storm. Daxter's only winter wear was his white scarf. Why would he need anything else with all that fur, eh? Puar and Ani were in no need for winter wear. They were just fine the way they are.

"I'm so glad you're taking me there." The kid smiled. Jak patted the kid's shoulder, "it's a refreshing change from Kor, and I get to spend more time with you."  
"Alright, just stay close to me and we'll be okay." Jak noted. The kid nodded, already knowing this, but still nodded like this was his first time outside, "Daxter." Jak pointed to his backpack where Daxter got in.

The walk to the power station was nothing bad at first. They went far off from any Krimzon Guards patrolling the city though. The kid slipped on ice a couple of times and Ani growled over to everyone but the kid and Puar at least thrice.  
"I hate that dog." Daxter whispered, noticing it was still growling at them, "Yea, just keep growling, ugly!" Daxter popped his head out the bag and Jak smacked him on the back of his head. It felt like this walk wouldn't be as bad as Jak thought. No sign of any danger and no sign of Krimzon Guards getting suspicious.  
"Heh, this is nice." Daxter nodded, finally managing to relax, "Real nice."  
"Yea, if we have time, we can catch a fast food restaurant and have a bite to eat." Jak suggested.  
"Oh, really?" The child gasped happily. Jak nodded, "Oh, Mr. Jak, Sir Kor never does that with me! It's always haste and hurry with him. I've never been to a fast food place before."  
"Neither have I." Jak came, "When we find one, we'll eat."  
"Ya got money?" Daxter asked.  
"Plenty." Jak had his eyes half closed, grinning, "Unlike you, Dax, I actually SAVE up."  
"Hardy Ha Ha." Daxter sarcastically replied.

And truth be told, Jak kept his words when he found the nearest burger stand. There, the five were about to enter when they noticed a sign, "No dogs allowed." Ani whimpered. The crocadog didn't care for the burgers, but it wanted to stay close to the child as possible.  
"Unless you're blind, dogs ain't allowed." Daxter commented, rather happily, too. Jak had a light bulb in his head. He dug into his back pack and took out a rather nice light tannish colored sunglasses, the glass shape titled a bit upwards. He eyed the others and grinned.  
"Ani…if you want to go in…well, you just have to trust me." Jak took out a leash that Samos gave him before the journey incase Ani started biting. Ani, looking at Jak like he was some time bomb waiting to explode, reluctantly trusted Jak on whatever he was going to do.

Inside the burger stand, Jak had Ani on a leash, sunglasses worn over his face. He started to look like he was…well, blind. And they couldn't turn down a blind man and his dog, now would they?  
"Little brother, what does it say up there on that burger menu?" Jak asked. He was being a blind man!  
"It said triple decker burger with extra cheese, double burger with extra cheese…Burger with extra cheese, Burger with no cheese, Bacon burger with triple extra cheese, Bacon burger with double cheese, Bacon burger with…"  
"WHAT? How many burgers do you have?" Jak gasped. He eyed the menu and made a small, "Oh."  
"Well, I don't want burgers." The kid made a sort of whiny noise.  
"Me, either, I don't eat meat." Jak shook his head, "Oh, look, there's a salad menu."  
"You don't eat meat?" The kid gasped, "I don't either."  
"Ain't that something?" Jak cocked a small smile.

After nearly 15 minutes on trying how to order food, the gang sat on a lone table far off in the corner where prying ears wouldn't listen to whatever conversation they were having, Jak had to keep his sunglasses on at all time.  
"Is the burger good?" Jak ask, seeing Daxter eating inside Jak's backpack. Ani also had its own, eating on the table with the others. Jak gave a thumbs up. The kid nodded. Both Jak and the kid settled on salads.  
"Hmm…the salads don't seem to taste as good as the one Tess makes. It feels more generic." The child smiled. Jak nodded, agreeing.  
"Of course, this is a burger restaurant, they make rather crappy foods, but ya either love 'em or leave 'em." Daxter rolled his eyes.  
The kid stopped eating about halfway, eyeing outside the snow window where the snow continued to fall.

"What's troubling you, kid?" Daxter asked, eating the last of his burger.  
"…..I apologize…I just…you can see the palace from here." The kid sighed, "…How I miss that place." Jak stayed silent. The child placed his hand on the giant window pane and took a deep sigh.  
"If only I could go back there again…if only a few minutes." Jak kept silent for brief scant seconds more before asking a question he knew would regret asking.  
"…So….what happened three years ago?" Jak asked quietly. The kid faced the taller man, "You know, the incident…" This time, it was the kid who stood silent.  
"…I'm sorry….it must be too personal, too painful…sorry." Jak tried to change the subject, but the kid stopped him.  
"It's alright…I try not to remember so much." The kid sighed, "…My parents died a horrible death…both killed by metal heads…I think."  
"Ya think?" Daxter popped out from his bag before Jak forced him back in.  
"…My motherwas killed by the Metal heads…that I was…unfortunate to see." The child started, "My fatheris a bit of a mystery…I believe the Metal Head killed him, too…" The child sighed before going on.  
"He was fighting with my uncle…the Metal head leader, that is." The kid stared out the window pane as he spoke, "My father fell…fell down from the palace roof…besides a bloody head from the fall…there was a gaping hole in his chest…like he was stabbed by one of the Metal Head's claws."  
"Kid…" Jak barely whispered.  
"And the Metal Head Leader is still out there somewhere." The kid sighed again, trying his mightiest to hold back any tears he had, a surge of anger in his voice.  
"It's in my to-do list…ya know, killing the Metal Head Leader." Jak pointed to the morph gun which was strapped in his back. It's common for weapons to be shown in public. The Baron issued a law stating that guns or other types of weaponry CAN be carried in public for protection due to this harsh, bitter time. He didn't seem to care that many crime rates have risen through since as a result.  
To Jak's surprise, the child made a soft scoff.  
"Mere guns will not kill the leader." The kid stated, "You are dreaming."  
"Well, I'm sure Jak can get his hands on other weapons." Daxter pointed out.  
"Ordinary weapons will not destroy the Metal Head Leader so easily. He is possessed with so much Dark Eco energy and Precursor powers that merely destroying him with a normal gun or a sword will be fatal…it'll be like tickling him." The kid drank his soda.  
"Oh, then do you happen to know HOW to get rid of him?" Jak surprisingly put in a slight attitude, arms crossed.  
"Of course." The kid nodded, "A special sword."  
"Which is…" Daxter waved his arm.  
"Oooh, THAT special sword." Puar muffled from the backpack as well.  
"Which is…" Jak repeated.  
"The one they call the Holy Sword…the Sword of the Precursors…Light Sword…it goes my many names." The kid answered, "It has been said that my great ancestor, Mar, received that sword from a Precursor. Its power flows with the Precursor and only that sword can damage and destroy the Metal head Leader…"  
"So, I assume your father used that sword to try and kill the leader, eh?" Jak asked. The child nodded.  
"Great, where can we find this sword?" Daxter asked excitedly, the sooner the creature is defeat, the faster they can go home.  
"In the palace." The kid answered. Jak and Daxter's wide smiles turned grim and disappointed.  
"Of course." Jak muttered sarcastically, knowing better that the sword would be in that one obvious place he can't easily barge into. They all became silent again before Daxter pointed out the window.  
"Hey, look, the snow is falling heavier then usual." Daxter pointed.  
"Yea, we better get moving before a bloody storm comes." Jak sighed, "I am NOT in a mood to be sick again." The gang got up and started to walk out, Jak pretending to be blind as Ani let him out, not very pleased towing Jak around, but at the same time, a bit happy it got food in its mouth and was close to the child.

Once again, the five walked on to their destination, unaware of the manager of the burger stand telling a couple of Krimzon Guards who came in for a bit to eat that he recognized the child as the prince. The guards got a move on and contacted the others. They ran out of the burger stand.  
The five continued to walk, but with all that food in their stomach, it was slightly challenging. Daxter had no problem; sitting inside a backpack, resting was fine enough for him Puar doesn't even eat. Ani had a bit of trouble. Being a dog, it ate its own burger, plus the left over Jak and the kid didn't eat.  
"You can climb on my shoulder if you want." Jak lowered down, placing a hand down so Ani could climb. Ani turned its face the other way and continued to walk, "Well, at least it didn't growl at me."  
"That's kind of surprising." The kid gasped.  
"Freeze!" Jak and the kid turned around to face a gang of Krimzon Guards heading their way.  
"What!" Jak gasped.  
"By order of his highness, Baron Praxis, I hereby place you ALL under arrest!" cried the head Krimzon Guard.  
"Oh, crap." Jak groaned, "And I was having a good day." Jak took out his guns, Daxter and Puar getting out of his bag.  
"GUYS! Take the kid to safety and HURRY!" Jak cried. Daxter made no hesitation and he and the others lead the kid away who was reluctant to leave. Jak stayed put and started to shoot some of the closer ones, first, with the Scatter Gun, sending three of four Krimzon Guards flying back. Jak started to turn and run to catch up to the kid as he shot them.  
"Stop them!" The guards cried.  
"Don't let them escape!"  
Jak tried the ol' insults as he started using the Blaster gun.

"Taste the power of eco lead!" Jak cried, "Okay…that was a bit corny."  
"How do YOU like to be shot!"  
"Leave the kid alone, you bastards!"  
"I thought you'd all learned your lesson by now on messing with me!"

Eventually, his ammos were running short. Jak had to think fast, what now?  
"JAK! Use the NEW gun!" Daxter cried from ahead. Jak remembered earlier today…

_"So…I heard you got babysitting duty." Torn grinned, though he sounded and looked a bit embarrassed about something.  
"Yea." Jak grinned also, eyes half closed.  
"….Good luck." Torn spoke.  
"Thanks." Jak kept his cunning face, leaving, but knowing full well that Torn had something else to give to Jak.  
"Hey…" Torn came on again, Jak turned around, still with his sly face, "I'm probably wasting this, but here's a Vulcan Barrel for that pea shooter of yours. Believe me, you're gonna need it!"  
"Awww, Torn, you care." Jak sarcastically, yet honestly spoke, taking the Vulcan Barrel.  
"Shut your face!" Torn hissed, "I just think you need better weaponry, is all!"  
Awww, Torn, you're just denying." Daxter smiled.  
"SHUT UP AND GET MOVING!" Torn shouted._

The flashback Jak just had got him to remember that he had the Vulcan Fury. Jak grinned and quickly switched his gun into the Vulcan Fury mode. Lowering it down, Jak started to shoot and the bullets unleashed like a machine gun would.  
"WHOO, what a rush!" Jak screamed as he watched the guards falling one by one.  
"BACK UP! BACK UP!" cried a surviving guard, talking in his communicator. Before long, Jak's thrill was destroyed when his bullets ran out and more guards came.  
"Crap." Jak groaned, "I should learn to converse more bullets."  
"Good idea, Jak!" Daxter shouted sarcastically. The four were waiting for Jak.  
"What are you doing, I said to RUN!" He cried out.  
"The kid refused to leave without ya!" Daxter shouted. They were a distance from each other.  
"Say whatever you will, Mr. Jak, I shall not leave you!" The kid cried. Jak groaned. He WOULD do this. He ran towards the kid instead of lecturing himself on the child's behavior.  
"I ran out of ammo! NOW can we run!" Jak cried out. The kid nodded and they all ran. The child wasn't doing a good job keeping up and irritated as hell, Jak picked up the kid and ran while carrying him. More guards were coming, surrounding him which prompted Jak to run in opposite directions, only to meet more Krimzon Guards.  
"That's it…we're doomed." Daxter sniffed, "And this time, I mean it!" Jak placed the child down and groaned in frustration.  
"Jak…anger issues…ANGER ISSUES!" Daxter cried out, "What did you say about change?" Too late…his dark form took over again. The child gasped upon Jak's transformation. He remembered when he saw Jak transformed into this hideous creature. Back when he first saw him. The transformation felt even more uncomfortable then last time, but the child watched with wide, concerned eyes.  
Dark Jak unleashed his standard yell, sending the citizens to run in panic.

"Jak Bannon is back!"  
"That monster!"  
"The Baron lied to us! He's still alive!"

And Dark Jak unleashed his rage and started to leap high…20 feet in the air, and landing on a group of Krimzon Guards, killing hem instantly. More came, but Dark Jak had the strength of 20 men, easily swiping 10 Krimzon Guards with his one arm alone. They fell down like rats. Anything a Krimzon Guard came close to the child, Ani would try and bite them back. Dark Jak would come as well and keep the kid safe.

He was unbeatable, near invincible. Are there no men alive that can stop this Dark Jak!

**BANG!**

Daxter and Puar screamed, Ani barked harshly, and the child gasped. Dark Jak stopped his attacks after that sound. It was from one of the Krimzon Guard, a rather scared one who must've shot, unaware if he would hit Jak or not…well, he was. Dark Jak stared at his chest…a big, gaping hole with blood coming out from it. The scared Krimzon Guard shot him in the chest…Dark Jak struggled to breathe. Blood was coming from his mouth.

"No…" Daxter gasped.

After standing still for a good few seconds, Dark Jak fell harshly on the snowy ground. He reverted back to normal Jak where he just lied there; motionless, bleeding, making the pure white snow blood red. His eyes were half closed. If nothing was done, Jak would bleed to death. The child ran. He ran to Jak and cried in agony.  
"MR. JAK! MR. JAK!" He shouted, "Wake up, the Krimzon Guards are coming!" What could he do? He was too upset, too scared to think of anything other then shouting to Jak.

Daxter, however, just stared in shock. Losing his best friend? After nearly 10 years of being together? This is how it ends? He's bleeding and not even moving. No signs of twitching. For all he knew, Jak was already dead. He couldn't stand it. His best friend...Daxter had enough. He ran to the guards, the ones he feared most of the time. He made a blood curing scream and started to gnaw on the exposed parts of the guards.  
"KID! Take Jak away!" Daxter cried, in the middle of gnawing the guards. Daxter wasn't going to be nobody's fool today. The kid didn't hesitate and went over and started to drag Jak. He was a heavy teen, but what more could you expect for a small 7 year old? That didn't stop him from taking Jak someplace safe. Ani barked repeatedly.  
"Ani, help Daxter!" The child cried. Ani obeyed, even if it hated Daxter with a passion. Soon, the two animals were fighting back the Guards in anywhere they can. Ani bit, Daxter moved gracefully and cleverly tried to confuse the guards to accidentally attacking the others. Puar, too helped by tackling the guards, one by one. The child managed to drag Jak in a small alley, and placed him behind some trash cans. A trail of blood was left behind from being dragged. The kid hurriedly went to the blood and tried to cover the trail as much a possible by snow. He didn't need guards taking advantage of Jak. He was rushing, making a mess or whatnot, all in a hurry to try to cover up the trail and return to Jak. After doing what he could do best to cover up the blood (and anxious to cure Jak), the child ran back to the alley where Jak still stood, blood covering his entire chest and his chin. Jak frantically grabbed Jak's backpack and started to search for bandages, too panicky to think of any other alternatives.  
Ani and Daxter kept the fighting, but they knew they had to run, they were outnumbered and tired. They shouldn't have eaten so many burgers.  
"I can't do this anymore! We gotta escape!" Daxter screamed, all the while thrashing about and gasping for air. The guards moved in confusion, kicking Daxter in the process whenever he was in the ground. It was hurting the poor Ottsel and he couldn't move anymore. Next thing he felt was him being pulled away. He opened his eyes and saw Ani was carrying him in its mouth, Puar following close behind.  
"They're getting away! Go get them!" The guards were too dizzy, so they lost their chance to find out where they were.  
"Put me down! Put me down!" Daxter cried, halfway to the alley where Jak and the kid was. Ani did so.  
"Are you okay, Daxter?" Puar asked.  
"Ewww, dog spit!" Daxter cried out, "Yeesh, can't you be a little more GENTLE?" Daxter turned his back towards Ani.  
"Can't you be a little more quiet or maybe you should SHUT UP for once!" Ani ran to the alley before the guards could regain conscious.  
"Puar!" Daxter cried, turning his head to the COMP.  
"I didn't say that! I don't sound that mean. Daxter. You make Puar sad for accusing like that!" Puar cried.  
"…Then who told me to be quiet?" Daxter gasped. He eyed Ani who was already in the alley with Jak and the kid, "…No way…" The voice he heard wasn't coming from Puar…she was right, Puar isn't that mean. But that voice was female and the only other one next to Daxter was…Ani…ANI? I mean, talking is one thing, but a female voice? Daxter quickly shook the thought and ran after Ani along with Puar. He'll figure this matter out later. Every one of them kept quiet until all the guards have left, all searching pathetically for Jak and the kid.

The kid had started to cry. Daxter started to shake poor Jak who lied motionless.  
"JAK! SAY SOMETHING! ANYTHING!" Daxter cried. The ottsel started to form tears. At the moment, the child was crying in a nonsensical manner. Puar moaned and groaned in deep concern. Even Ani whined, afraid to lose Jak.  
"Jak, you can't die!" Daxter choked, "What about Samos…what about Kiera! We still have to find him! What about your revenge? WHAT ABOUT SANDOVER? WHY?"  
"Jak…JAK….WAKE UP! WAKE UP! PLEASE! HELP ME! DON'T LET HIM DIE!" The kid cried, his cheeks rosy, his tears stinging his face, "PLEASE!" Never in the child's life has he called Jak by just that…Jak. It was always Mr. Jak.  
His pendent glowed. The child opened his eyes and saw the pendent's reaction. Then Jak's pendent started to glow…a bright white light enveloped both the child and Jak, blinding Puar, Daxter, and Ani. In a matter of seconds, the glowing stopped and Jak…Jak was alright.  
"Whoa." Daxter whispered, surprised and relieved, the tears still surrounding his eyes.  
Jak's gaping hole was gone. The blood…all gone. The pendent healed him completely. Jak struggled and opened his eyes slowly.  
"J-Jak…" The child gasped.  
"…Ow…My chest…I'm dead? Oh…I'm…okay?" Jak stared at his chest. No pain, no nothing. How confusing.  
"The pendent…it healed you…or did I do it?" The kid whispered, teary eyed, half surprised, half confused. He hugged Jak again, "I'm so glad you're alive." Jak hugged the kid back with one of his arms, eyeing his half of the pendent. It was Daxter's turn to cry in nonsensical blabber as he ran into Jak as well and gave him his hug. Jak placed one of his arms around Daxter.

"Wow…" Jak whispered, starring at the snowy sky.  
The five ran to the Power Station which was nearby, knowing they couldn't hang around the alley all day. No time to stop, no nothing. They walked to the top and ran inside, gasping for air.  
"Oh, dear, they're here!" Vin jumped a bit. Behind him was the elderly Kor.  
"Samos told us to bring the kid to you." Daxter groaned, hurt, and exhausted, and out of breath.  
"Thank you. I'll be sure to keep him close." Kor eyed the child, then he eyed Jak, "My goodness, you look like…well…Hell."  
"Yea." Jak groaned, "That pretty much sums it up." Ani came closer to Kor and growled like it normally did with most of the people it watched over. The child gave his usual concerned, yet "Ani's doing it again" look.  
"How sweet…" Kor muttered, a slight sarcastic air around him. Jak lowered down and patted Ani's back, risking if Ani would bite him and unfortunately, with teeth that huge, it was a very terrible risk. Instead of the usual growl, Ani instead panted in glee and actually licked Jak's face. Everyone surrounding Jak and the dog gasped in shock. Ani LIKED someone other then the boy? Kor was the first to speak.  
"Interesting. That insufferable mutt never liked anyone but the boy before." The old man observed, like the two were his research specimens.  
"I guess I'm just good with animals." Jak grinned, starring at Daxter who grinned back when eyed by his best friend. The child smiled, happy that Ani was giving it's love to someone other then himself. Daxter, however, stared back at the dog with a bit of jealously and hatred. Ani eyed him with a big grin on its mouth. Kor's attention now diverted to the many holographic televisions and stations before his eyes while Vin was busily pushing buttons.  
"I hope we have enough eco to keep the Metal Heads at bay. During my travels in the deep Wasteland I saw some of the bigger ones. Awesome creatures." Kor turned to face the heroes.  
"We saw a big one coming out of a rift once. He was uuuuuuugly!" Daxter made his two cents known, reverting back to his old self when mere minutes ago, he was in agony over Jak's near dead body.  
"Hmmmmphh…" Kor grumbled, like he was offended by that comment, "I have some valuable information for you. The Baron is conducting an excavation at the Dig. He is still looking for that ridiculous Tomb."  
Kor rolled his eyes. As he spoke, Ani went over to Kor's walking stick, stuck one of its hind legs up and started to pee on it. Kor, noticing this, didn't get angry, but just shook off the pee from his stick. This isn't the first time Ani did this to him.  
"Frankly, I don't believe it exists." Kor muttered, "The legends and beliefs of the Precursors died a long time ago."  
"Oh, Sir Kor…please do not think that way." The kid spoke. Vin nodded from the backside. He then eyed Jak who was giving Kor his _"I'm not taking this so seriously"_ look, "I rather Mr. Jak have a look at that place if he has the time. While I am worried about my uncle trying to find the way into Mar's Tomb, I am also concerned for the Lurkers who live in the area where he is digging for the tomb."  
"I see." Daxter pondered, still uncomfortable by the mere mention of Lurkers.  
"The Lurkers once lived peacefully in the volcanic caves between three years ago and about 300 years or so in the past, but since my uncle has taken over, well…he's like a hurricane that won't stop. And seeing as the dig site is part of Haven Kingdom, he has every right to dig in it."  
"I'll have a looksee, your highness." Jak bowed politely. The child smiled and dug through his pocket. He fished out a flat keycard.  
" It is not located in the city, but outside of it." The child handed Jak his keycard, "Here is an Air Train pass to get you out of there. Use it well, Mr. Jak." Jak slowly took it.  
"Thanks." Jak nodded. He took it and stuffed it in his bag.  
"Oh, and take Ani with you. I know my dog will be of great asset to you." The kid eyed his crocadog. After what just happen today, the kid took no chance. He didn't wanted Jak to go deep inside his head, but this was an impossible task. Daxter gasped, and then eyed Jak, wondering if he'll take the dog with him. Jak eyed the dog for a long time who was now more then eager to go, though you could see it was reluctant to leave the child.  
"Go with Mr. Jak…he'll need you more then I do…please promise to protect Mr. Jak and his friends." The kid bent down to Ani's level, "And PLEASE, try not to kill Daxter, okay?" Ani thought for a second and barked, agreeing. The kid smiled and hugged his beloved pet. Ani moved over to Jak who petted him again while Daxter stared, uneasily. It seemed the kid started to call Jak with the "Mr." in front again.  
"Wait, we're leaving now?" Daxter asked.  
"I guess." Jak scratched his head, "Torn probably has more missions for us. So…I guess I'll see you later." "You don't need to go right away, you can stay a while." The kid grabbed one of Jak's arms, like a kid begging his parents to take him to a toy store.  
"…I know." Jak muttered, even though he didn't want to be shot again, "I have to. No rest for me." The kid reluctantly let go of Jak's arm and lowered his head. Jak sighed and bent down to the kid's level. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Jak spoke, "I'll be okay. I've been through much worse." The kid was silent, face still down.  
"I have to do this." Jak urged, "I'm doing this for you." The kid nodded slowly, head still down. Daxter, witnessing all these, couldn't help but take the kid's side. Couldn't he just wait till, maybe, tomorrow?  
"Good luck…Jak." The kid spoke, finally facing Jak. His face showed he was going to cry, but with full confidence. Jak nodded and they left.

Once the heroes were outside, everything calmed down. Daxter, back in Jak's bag, pondered as he stared at Ani.  
"Jak, maybe you should have taken the kid's advice and stayed put for a while." Daxter groaned.  
"Oh, not you, too." Jak stopped walking, and grabbed his bag.  
"Jak, there was a giant hole in your chest." Daxter made sure to keep his voice level in check, they were in a public place, "Kiera…Samos…OUR Samos…Sandover…these people and places will have no meaning without you whence we return."  
"I know, but this entire city is resting by my shoulders." Jak explained, "Right now, this city is just as much as my responsibility as it is the kid's."  
"Jak, you've only really been in this city since last spring." Daxter gasped, "The other years were in that freaky prison. The kid's been here his whole life."  
"Look, I don't understand why I feel I have to protect this city when all I want is the Baron's head on a stick, but there's just…something about this place that gets me all defensive." Jak started, "And if I have to risk every part of my life to do it, then so be it." Daxter was surprised at Jak's calmness. His face was no filled with anger, but with concern and hopefulness that Daxter might understand what he is trying to say. Daxter sighed.  
"I just have this urge to stop Praxis, get that Holy sword or whatever, and kill the Metal Head." Jak came in, "I'm even tempt to find this Tomb of Mar if it existed. I have no clue, really. I don't know, but I know I have to this this. My heart's in the right place…some of it may be wrong, but bloody hell, I decided on what I'm going to do." Daxter was speechless, as was Ani who was staring above. A moment of silence and Daxter grinned.  
"Jak, you're an idiot." Daxter laughed softly, "You're a real knucklehead. You always risk your neck ever since I met ya."  
"I know." Jak smiled, releasing the bag he was holding, "It's just who I am." They started to walk, Daxter now starring back at Ani again.  
"Jak…you notice anything strange about the dog?" he asked. Jak stared at Ani and shook his head.  
"No…why?" Jak shrugged. Daxter sighed.  
"…Nothing."

………………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 13: **Einta, Day 1_ (Winter Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

Snow continued to fall heavily even from the high palace. Seeing as the palace was much closer to the heavens, it was no surprise. The Baron eyed the snow from his office, his huge window pane that covered up nearly half the entire office room. His double door opened and in came the royal family's personal butler, Walter.

"Your majesty, your tea, sir." Walter came. He was an old butler with pure white hair tied back into a ponytail. He usually had on black tuxedos, but this time, he had on blue top with black pants, his shoes mostly black with a large white buckle. An umbrella was latched onto the back of his belt. He carried his beloved umbrella all the time. One assumes it is because it is his choice of weapon. Some rumors have sprouted that Walter was a fighter. Even a butler has to defend himself and the people he served.  
"Just leave it on the desk." Praxis mumbled, stressed once again.  
"Master Erolior is worried about you, your majesty." Walter commented, "And so is she. In fact, she wishes to speak with you." Praxis groaned. Not HER. He wanted so much to avoid HER. Always criticizing him, "She will not take "no" for an answer."  
"She never does." Praxis groaned.  
"My mistress, you may come in." Walter spoke clearly. From the double door came an old figure. Dressed in a suave, lavender dress, a blue sash around her, the woman sprouted gray hair held up and a wrinkled face, but her icy blue eyes stood out above all. Despite her old age, this woman aged gracefully and was  
quite beautiful. Her figure, from the very looks, could give any 20 year old women envy. She was a stunning figure but Praxis groaned.  
"…Mother." he mumbled.  
"Have you been paying attention to the city lately?" She cried out, "Crime rates up the roof, people starving in the slums, rebellions, honestly? How could you let our own people turn their backs on us?"  
"Mother, I am doing everything in my power to protect them!" Praxis groaned, "I am protecting them from the Metal Heads. True, I am harsh, but it's until the Metal Heads are gone. This city needs to be tough!"  
"You always say that and every time you do, I believe it a little less." she scoffed, "Your older brother was loved by many…why are you failing!"  
"Mother!" Praxis cried, "Must you mention my older sibling? You upset me. My own mother, not trusting me."  
"Your nephew does an even better job and he is nearly 8!" She shouted, "You are twice his age, honestly!" Praxis groaned.  
"I am disappointed." She shook her head, "What on Precursors are you doing? Is there something you need to tell me?"  
"No! Of course not, dear mother." Praxis gasped, slightly panicking, "Mother, I will protect this city, I will rid of the Metal heads…I WILL find little Christof…I WILL succeed and make the people love us so they can trust us."  
"I only want this kingdom and our people to prosper. These are our people." The old woman stared out the window, standing next to Praxis who stared at her in shame, "Look at the city, Praxis…go on, look." She placed her hand on Praxis' cheek so he too would stare at the same thing she was staring at.  
"What am I looking at exactly?" Praxis asked.  
"The majority of the people here are precursians." She started, "Even if they are of lower class then we are, we must still protect every last one of them."  
"Yes, I know." Praxis groaned, having heard this before, "I am trying to protect the people. This Jak Bannon is the cause of most of these problems. He is a nuisance and a threat to the entire city. My entire Krimzon Guard force is keeping a keen eye on him."  
"And yet, months after his appearance, none of your men has yet to capture him." She scoffed, "One boy over hundreds of Krimzon Guards…how sad."  
"I am doing what I can." Praxis gritted through his teeth.  
"You can't even control your daughter!" She cried out. Praxis tried to argue back, but the words chose not to come.

The old lady sighed as she walked away. She stopped midway through the office room.

"There have been many decisions I am not proud that you have made." She said, her back turning to her son, "…But despite my harsh criticisms, the city is still standing, so you must be doing something right. Don't disappoint me any further."  
"Yes, mother." Praxis nodded.  
"Oh, and for goodness sake, please spend some time with Erolior…he wants your attention." She sighed.  
"I give him plenty of attention!" Praxis cried out.  
"You treat him like a soldier." She commented.  
"He IS a soldier." He cried out again.  
"He is also like you and I…Precursians." She walked off with Walter following behind. Praxis sighed and sat on his desk.  
"She is getting suspicious…my mother must not know my true plans…" he groaned, "She would try and dethrone me in a heartbeat."  
**To Be Continued…**


	15. The Seal of Mar

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part II: The Precursor Stone  
Chapter 15: The Seal of Mar**

_Jak spent the majority of the days after school in his room, working on the school play's script, except whenever he had extracurricular activities, fighting training and whatever little odd ditties Samos forced on the boy, and usually when he spends quality time with me. Jak would never miss teatime with his dear uncle. Seeing him work nonstop on that thing had me quite worried. Soon, he would never spend enough time with me (although he carried out a bunch of paper and pencil to continue writing). I did not wish for him to stop (he was getting rather into that play), but I'd hope he wouldn't lose touch with me.  
During the early sunset, Jak wished to speak with me on his writings of the play so far._

_"You can't tell anyone, it's a secret!" Jak whispered, despite the fact that it was only the two of us in the house, "I don't want anyone to know what I wrote, no matter how much they beg me." I nodded, sipping on my tea.  
"Well, the story I thought of were actually based on dreams I had with some made up parts in between here and there that I thought of randomly as I wrote." Jak started, "It's a story about a lost prince and his quest to save his kingdom from evil."  
"I see." I muttered, "But there are many plots involving that."  
"I plan to edge it up a lot, but remember, clichés are good if you use it right." Jak lectured to which I nodded in agreement, "Any who, the prince lives in a palace that soars high above the clouds, overlooking the city down below."  
"The city, eh?" I came in.  
"Yea, I dreamt of a city in my dreams…as technologically influenced as the Precursors." Jak answered, "The city is over the water…the Water City, it'll be called that." Jak's eyes were dreamy.  
"The prince lost his parents to these evil monstrous beings with glowing gold gems on their foreheads. The prince was thought to be dead, so the prince's uncle took over, who is vile and mean. The prince grew up to be a strong warrior. He lived in the poor city slums where he learned to fight from his mentor who watched over him when they escaped from the palace for protection. The prince has two heirloom of his symbol as royalty: a magical holy sword and a pendent…also magic."  
"Interesting." I pondered, this sounded a bit familiar.  
"The prince, dressed like some commoner does not know he is the prince, because he was young when his parents died and escaped the palace, but during his journey to stop evil, he will, and he'll also meet new friends." Jak eyed the ceiling as if the very stars stared back at him, "In the end, he will save his kingdom and become King." Jak stared back at me. I didn't say anything.  
"I'm…still working on the kinks." Jak cleared his throat, "It'll be a musical!"  
"A musical." I repeated, half of myself, half towards Jak.  
"Yea…I wanted to work on song writing part." Jak blushed, shrugging his shoulders, "Any who, I still have more to write, then I have to tweak it to make sure it's a good, engaging plot." He walked off.  
"What are the characters' names?" I asked, "They must have names. Even the monsters and cities."  
"Well, I can't think of a name for the monsters, but the city is just called the Water City, and as for the prince…I'm thinking of Christof."  
"Christof?" I scratched my head, thinking of the familiarity of the name, "Where did you think of that?" He shrugged.  
"I just did…it was in my dream." then he walked away._

_I sat down in my chair for the longest time. I didn't move. Why did that name, "Christof" bothered me so much? Was I informed of this name before? That was when I thought of Samos. It was in the middle of night when I suddenly and swiftly woke up, left bed, wore a jacket, and rushed over to Samos' house, and literally broke the door down. I could hear Samos' grumbling and myself panting for air.  
"Honestly, can't you knock a little softer!" Samos gasped, "My daughter is sleeping. Wake up the dead while you're at it, why don't ya?"  
"Samos…I need to talk to you." I gasped. Samos ushered me in, seeing my urgent, panic-ridden face.  
"What is it?" Samos asked, sitting across from me in the dining room table. A fireplace lit on and a book on a soft chair informed me that Samos has been doing some late reading.  
"Do you the name, "Christof?" I asked.  
"Of course, I already told you who it is." Samos explained, "….Why? Did you forget?"  
"I kinda wish I did…it's just that…"  
"Yes?"  
"That…."  
"Yesssssssss?"  
"….Jak knows that name."_

_Silence broke as neither of us spoke. My face looked ashamed, looking as though I was guilty for telling Jak the secret I've kept for so long from him. Both Samos and I had on big, gaping face. He and I were both getting old and we couldn't afford so much stress. I had all lost the golden locks on my hair, leaving nothing but a shiny gleam to substitute my hair. Yes, I was bald and would probably be unless I bought a toupee. My figure remained the same since I met Jak, short and stumpy. Samos had the more drastic change. I didn't know if it was the stress of parenthood (the first couple of years adopting Kiera was hell for him), but his green hair was completely white and not as bushy and lush as before. The reminder of his white hair was tied back around his log. His small white beard grew to be a long, lengthy one, and his egg hatched into a bird who never left any more then three feet from Samos, making the log the bird's official home._

_"GREAT TREE LIMBS…Did you TELL him!" Samos spoke through gritted teeth, standing up, fists shaking, ready to pop.  
"Of course not!" I stood up to, trying to keep it quiet as to not wake up Kiera, "Please, can't you give me more credit then that?" Samos sighed.  
"I…I'm sorry…of course." Samos sat down. He sat on his chair, pondering, I assumed.  
"Is he…remembering…again?" I asked.  
"Yes." Samos answered, "He may be."  
"I guess I should mention… (I looked around) please don't tell Jak I told you this, he wants it to be a secret…but his play came from his dreams…well, some of his play. He had dreams of city floating on water, a prince trying to save the world from evil monsters with glowing gold gems and whatnot." Samos gasped slightly.  
"Glowing gold gems…in their…"  
"Foreheads." I finished. Samos gasped again.  
"He is remembering." Samos muttered. I had no clue if I should have taken that as good or bad news again. Although, at the moment, I felt pessimistic, I mean…a time will come when I would never see him again. His memory is slowing returning, which signaled me that Jak is one step closer to returning to his true home. My heart cringed in pain and leaped._

………………..

**Haven City**  
**Month 13: **Einta, Day 1_ (Winter Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

It was still gray, cloudy, and snowing when Jak, Daxter, Puar, and their newest addition, Ani, left the power station to return to Torn for another mission he probably had in his head. What now? Stealing a HellCat (recently released after a couple of months of Jak's tortures)? Going to the Pumping Station once again? Jak pondered the wondrous possibilities. Torn has given him so much missions, all diverse in their own way. Truth be told, Jak wasn't bored. Daxter was little less then happy to go on each of the missions. Yes, he had the free choice to stay behind, but he would feel guilty if he let Jak go alone, risking his neck on his best buddy, plus who else would lead a pessimistic, sarcastic comment? Puar rang loudly.

"MESSAGE! MESSAGE!" Jak and Daxter cringed in horror with Ani barking uncontrollably. People surrounding them stared. Jak and Daxter quickly grabbed Puar and with Ani following behind, dragged the screaming COMP to an empty alley, totally deprived of people.  
"PUAR!" Jak cried out, "I appreciate I have a message, but STOP yelling whenever I GET ONE!"  
"I'm sorry, I cannot help it. Puar is happy when Puar helps Master Jak, especially with messages, to make Master Jak be happy."  
"That's fine, but be quieter, it'll make ME happy, okay?"  
"Okay!" Puar ranged loudly, her usual perky face seemingly lifting up spirits.  
"Now, can I get the message or did he hang up on me?" Jak asked. He got his answer when Puar spoke that he had another message.  
"Messages! Messages!" She spoke in a fairly normal voice level. Jak accepted the messages and to his surprise, it was Pecker, in full holographic form.  
"Jak, why in bird seeds did you not pick up my last call?" Pecker cried out, "Are you deaf?"  
"Pecker, easy, what do you want?" He was a bit aggravated.  
"Only for you to come over here to the Bazaar and down to our hut RIGHT now!" Pecker issued, flapping his right wing to emphasize his little statement.  
"Now?" Jak asked.  
"Yes, as in NOW, not tomorrow, not yesterday, not in a few hours, not in a few hours back, NOW!" Pecker cried, "I don't care how, but get your Precursian butt over here!" Then he signed of.  
"Friendly." Daxter sarcastically commented. Jak groaned. Knowing that guards were in total watch, and just recently escorting the world's most important kid ever, taking a tram or stealing someone's vehicle would be most foolish. They had no choice but to walk. Jak groaned.

After a couple of hours walking, the four manage to reach the Bazaar by nightfall. Lights surrounding the bazaar as well as some neon signs were more then enough for them to see their way. Jak has been in the Bazaar many times before, if not to buy some fruits there, which were the freshest in the entire city, but he still didn't go here much. There was nothing for him there as far as anyone was concerned, thus he wasn't so sure what really goes around the bazaar, but the next site he saw, well, he KNEW it was out of the orderly.  
Krimzon Guards everywhere, marching to and fro, eyeing every compartment. The residences of the Bazaar hid in their homes. Pecker would be steaming mad for any more delays. Jak decided another route should be taken, but by then, the guards have surrounded him, not knowing who he was. Luckily for Jak, not every Krimzon Guards knew Jak by his face. They froze for a good few seconds, wondering how to get pass without being seen, Daxter was a bit too terrified to hop in Jak's bag, but they grew calm when they spotted a familiar figure.

"Miss Ashelin!" Puar cried. Ashelin turned around, obviously talking to one of the guards. The four came close to her, Ashelin coming to them.  
"How's it riding in the hood, red?" Daxter grinned, trying to score with her again. Ashelin rolled her eyes at Daxter, having gotten used to his speech upon her visits to the Underground to visit Christof.  
"Daxter, in the bag, NOW!" Jak whispered loudly. Daxter groaned in disappointment and did what he was told. Ashelin was less then pleased to see Jak and his friends.  
"Get out of the area. This is Krimzon Guard business!" Ashelin pushed one of the guard's guns away as two Krimzon Guard came to her. She then eyed Ani.  
"Guards, go resume your duties." Ashelin ordered. They gave a _"yes, ma'am"_ and left.  
"Ani…" Ashelin gasped, "…That dog never liked anyone but the kid."  
"Yea, I know." Jak shrugged, "Shocking, isn't it?" Jak patted the dog again. Ashelin was amazed. There was more to Jak then she let on, but she cleared her throat and continued her duties.  
"One of Vin's eco tankers is coming in from the wasteland, but the clearance transmission sounded fishy." Ashelin pondered, telling her what she and her guards were up to, "The driver was scared. We're going to check it out. Just in case."  
"How can we help?" Jak asked.  
"I've got it handled." Ashelin walked away, "I suggest you get our before these guards suspect who they think you are."  
"…Yea." Jak muttered, looking slightly disappointed. Hard to believe that she was the daughter of Praxis, although one can see a sense of determination both of them possessed. Now seemed like anytime to talk about their relation while they were waiting, even if Jak was told to move out, but her current attitude made it seem she doesn't need any more added stress and questions. Jak reminded himself, however, to talk about her father with her and see more into this matter later. At the moment, he watched in concern as Ashelin walked back to the middle of the site.  
Ashelin didn't reach the middle of the bazaar section as something great; something big came crashing through the homes and walls of the area. The residences gasped, Guards screamed, Jak and his friends as well as Ashelin ducked away from the dust and debris. Once all was clear, Jak noticed it was an eco tanker. Instead of a normal, regular precursian coming out came Metal heads, dozens of them

"Ahhh! A Metal Head sneak attack!" Daxter's muffled screams came from Jak's bag.  
"Damn! It's just us!" Ashelin gasped, seeing her soldiers were all unconscious. She eyed Jak, "Help me take out all the Metal heads!"  
"Oh, NOW you want our help!" Daxter cried.  
Jak ran to the mass of Metal heads ahead of him and stared to…well…kick ass. With no bullets in his guns, his ordinary punches and kicks had to do. It didn't help matters with their thick hides, so Jak quickly ran to the nearest Krimzon Guard and took his long gun and started to shoot. The gun was exceptionally heavy, so Jak had to struggle with it before feeling comfortable. After about 5 minutes of random shootings and the Metal heads dead, Ashelin and Jak both took a breather.  
Ashelin kicked a random eco barrel out of the way as she went over to Jak. Coincidently, the Krimzon Guards came to from their unconsciousness. The ones who were gravely injured were helped by the lone Green First Aid Krimzon Guard doctor who tried healing everyone he can, running around in circles. In the end, he had to call for back-ups. He couldn't possibly carry 5 soldiers to the emergency room by himself! Meanwhile, the scared driver inside the vehicle was now hysterical, shouting, "The Metal Heads! THE METAL HEADS!" as if he drank one too many coffee and could only be nothing but high-strung.

"We got 'em all! The Metal Heads are getting bolder every day." Ashelin noted to Jak, "It's almost like they're testing our defenses, like probing attacks. I've got a bad feeling about this." She left to go talk with the other Krimzon Guard and resume her duties as usual.  
"Yeah... you're welcome." Jak felt a bit hurt.

……………………

Puar came once again with a message from Pecker who grew even more pissed then usual.  
"Oh…what could be worse now?" Jak groaned.  
"Another message!" Puar came.  
"Who is it? Torn?" Jak muttered in a tired matter.

Soon, Krew's image came before Puar. Rather surprising that he managed to fit into the entire holographic screen. He obviously was grumbling at something going off in the background as his first response was a confusing one.  
"The Baron sent his goons to harass me as usual, 'ey! Health violations. Bank taxes! Everyone wants a piece of me. Aaahh well!" Krew groaned. Jak, Daxter, and Ani heard an "Uh-Huh." that could only come from both Sig and Tess. Krew then eyed Jak.  
"Oh…had a little run in." Krew grumbled.  
"What else is new?" Daxter groaned.  
"Everybody wants a piece of me." Krew muttered again.  
"Lucky for you, there's plenty to go around!" Daxter retorted.  
"Krew, is there a reason you're calling, I'm in a bit of a hurry." Jak groaned.  
"I have another job for you. An associate of mine, Brutter, works with me in the forced labor trade." Krew started. Labor trade…forced? Jak knew instantly that he was talking about the Lurker slaves.  
"You mean the slave trade?" Jak had his arms crossed.  
"I prefer 'freedom challenged'. Lurkers are the city's low class labor. Brutter pays me handsomely to help him free lurkers and get them safely out of the city and since you two freed a Lurker a few months back…well, heh, well, I had my eyes on you…" Krew could image the dough right before his eyes, "Ahhh, it lifts my spirit to help those in need... and I NEED his money!"  
"Lurkers? We don't like lurkers!" Daxter must have forgotten about Kami, the only Lurker he and Jak encountered throughout their stay in Haven City. The rest all in shackles and being dragged harshly by their owners or working for them.  
"So, what do you want us to do?" Jak asked.  
"Go to Brutter whenever you have the time (I prefer if you did it as soon as possible), and try to pry off as much money as you can." Krew muttered, "I'm getting rather tired of lugging those hairy furballs and would have quit long enough if he didn't pay so well."  
"Oh, great, leave the smelly guys to us." Daxter groaned, "As if I want to be caught wedged under the armpit of a Lurker." Jak glared at him.  
"Well, get crackin'!" Krew shouted, "He's little shop is located in the Bazaar." Then Krew disappeared.  
"Great, he dumps another job he hates on us just so he can get more cash." Daxter groaned, "And it involves Lurkers."  
"You don't remember Kami, do you?" Jak asked, "We only did meet him about some months ago…I think."  
"I do, but I still don't think too fondly of Lurkers." Daxter mumbled in his bag, "Obviously, this Brutter guy must LOVE Lurkers to try and free them."  
"Yea." Jak nodded, "Okay, we go to Pecker's first, and then we go see Brutter." Jak pointed out. So, off to Onin's hut they went.  
"I don't get why we're still working for Krew." Daxter groaned.  
"As long as Torn thinks he has good info, we're pretty much stuck with him." Jak commented.  
"Please, Jak, with his girth, bring stuck on him is the last image I want in my head." Daxter groaned, hanging limp from the backpack, like he was going to puke. Jak harshly shoved him back in.

…………….

Inside Onin's hut stood the familiar site of Onin and Pecker herself. What they were rather surprised to see was Young Samos there as well. Before Jak commented, Pecker flew up to his face.  
"What took you so long?" Pecker cried out, "I had to cancel my vocal lessons because of you!"  
"Vocal…lessons?" Daxter scoffed who was now out of Jak's bag. Ani rolled its eyes.  
"Well, the dog isn't growling at you!" Samos gasped as he came near the crocadog, who growled at him.  
"Oh, well, on to pressing matters." Samos nervously backed away. Jak sat down on a blue cushion, laid out for him. Daxter sat on Jak's shoulder, refusing to sit on the ground where spiders and other little nasty bugs crawled.  
"The birdbrain and I were just talking about you Jak." Samos began.  
"Onin is very proud of what you did." Pecker commented.  
"What I did?" Jak repeated, confused.  
"What you did... what you'll do... it's all the same." Pecker waved his wings around.  
"Will you stop with the deja voodoo stuff? It's creepy!" Daxter shouted. Pecker gave a piercing glare. Oh, if looks could kill. Ani was unfortunately right between the two and would have to referee them if things got outta hand and Jak himself couldn't do it.  
"Onin says you must find the Tomb of Mar." Samos came out.  
"So, the Tomb of Mar IS true." Daxter gasped.  
"Even now, Baron Praxis seeks the tomb, but only... arrrk! The one true heir of Mar can open the Tomb's seal." Pecker spoke.  
"We believe the kid is the key." Samos came on again, Pecker eyeing Samos. He hated being interrupted.  
"I see." Jak pondered, "I don't get it. If Praxis is part of the royal family, would he not know of the tomb himself?"  
"Of course not." Pecker groaned, "He's only a second born!" Jak and Daxter both exchanged confusing look. Pecker led off a big sigh and was about to explain when--  
"Only first born heirs to the throne knows the secret to the tomb, no one else. Not to Queen, not their close relatives, NOBODY but the King and his son." Samos started.  
"So, naturally, they couldn't tell Praxis, so that's why he's searching for them." Pecker spoke.  
"Geez, ya think the King would have told his second kid incase the first one croaked…which, by the way, DID happen!" Daxter groaned, "What kind of father is he?"  
"Former King Zacca never realized his son, former King Barailor, would die a tragic death." Samos spoke, "Luckily, he had a child of his own."  
"So, the kid must know where Mar's Tomb is." Jak spoke, "…Does he?"  
"No." Samos shook his head, "All future heirs are to know on their tenth birthday."  
"Oh." Jak looked down, "So, what happens when the kid goes to the Tomb?"  
"The prophecies say the true heir of Mar must face the ancient Oracle." Pecker answered, "He alone must circumvent the cunning tests of manhood. He alone must wield the Precursor Stone, thereby unleashing... Geez, louise, fossil lady! Stop with the snotty mystic talk already!" Pecker shouted as his face was now close to Onin who really provided the answers. She gave a rather shocked expression, despite Pecker speaking back to her in this tone before, "You know that it hurts my lips!"  
"Why is Mar's tomb so important?" Jak asked, although he knew he'd get the answer soon.  
"The fabled Precursor Stone is fabled to sleep within the Tomb, stupid. I added the 'stupid' part." Pecker was easily aggravated. Daxter started to mock Pecker, Jak grinning as a result. Ani merely switched between Daxter and Pecker whenever one spoke.  
"The Precursor Stone contains vast eco energies. It can be used for great good or... great eeeevil! I just love saying that last part!" Pecker grinned, growing calm again. He faced Samos.  
"The Baron wants the Precursor Stone for himself to rule the world. But he is playing with forces he does not understand." Samos said, "he does not belong in the Tomb, only the Kings of Haven Kingdom."  
"Okay Pecker, so how do I get this Precursor Stone?" Jak asked. Pecker tried to speak, but Samos interrupted him again.  
"First, you must go to the Dig and find the Lurker totem. Onin and I learned that the Seal of Mar is contained within its ancient carvings. It will then open up Mar's gate in the canyon of Haven Forest."  
"The dig?" Daxter gasped.  
"It's located in the Volcanic Craters." Samos pointed out. Jak then remembered the kid mentioning of the Lurkers earlier on and nodded. He had an Air Train pass to get there.  
"I know how to get there." Jak nodded.  
"Good, good." Samos nodded, "Well then, we must carry on. We must find that stone before Praxis does!"  
"Onin said it's late, so you can sleep in her tent for tonight." Pecker spoke, "Although, I advise you, it's going to be crowded."

Jak sighed deeply.

Hours passed. The animals and Puar were sleeping; Daxter in Jak's bag as well as Puar, who was merely recharging herself, Pecker sleeping upside down on his post, and Ani on Jak's laps. Jak didn't feel very tired. He had his back to one of Onin's many antiques and mystic items. Thinking of the tomb made him uneasy.

The tests of manhood…will it be hard? Pecker made it sound like it was the grandest thing in the world, meaning the tests would be hard and struggling. If that was the case, can the child survive? The child had great magical power, but would it be enough even for someone as powerful as the kid? As far as Jak was concerned, it would require physical strength, something that was obviously absent from the small green haired boy. Jak groaned, his stomach didn't feel right. Never eat food that Pecker cooks…or was it from his stress of worrying so much for the boy? Either way, Jak needed to lie down, so he carefully removed Ani from his legs, then got into a fetal position, placing the thick blanket over him.  
There were other questions concerning the tomb that he hoped to get an answer from in the morning. Everyone had fallen asleep, even Onin who seem to enjoy sleeping while floating a good 6 inches off the air, slightly glowing light green. A night light yes, but Jak found it distracting. He dozed off after an hour more of thinking.

**Onin's Hut**  
**Month 13: **Einta, Day 2_ (Winter Time)_**  
Year:** _299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)_

The sky was still gray the next morning. Jak's hair, a complete mess from tossing and turning in his sleep a lot could barely eat breakfast. He was very uneasy. The animals and Onin kept a constant stare at him, although Daxter complained about the food.  
"It's Radish soup, very good for you." Pecker came, "Make your muscles big, and trust me, I think you need it." Daxter grumbled, tempt to throw a punch, but Ani growled, stopping the two from having the temptation to kill each other. Jak could hardly pay attention. His mind was completely busy.  
"Onin wants to know what is wrong with you, Jak." Pecker came, "She is wondering if you are having any troubling thoughts in your head."  
"…Yea…I do." Jak spoke softly, "A couple of questions on…the Tomb of Mar."  
"Onin said ask away." Pecker commanded.  
"…The Tomb of Mar…you said only the Kings of Haven Kingdom belong there…why?" Jak asked.  
"The tomb is not merely where Mar was laid upon his death, Jak." Pecker started, translating Onin, "It belongs to all the kings of Haven Kingdom. There is a secret place, well hidden and only known by the kings and their heirs. In there is the tomb where all the kings are laid, to sleep forever in their coffins."  
"They…don't get buried?" Daxter asked, more interested in the story then the radish soup.  
"No." Pecker answered. That made the ottsel feel a little uneasy.  
"There are several locations to the tomb where the 12 Kings lie." Pecker continued, "Each a secret except for the Kings and heirs themselves."  
"Wait a sec…if they get sent down there when they die…well, who takes them? The heir?" Daxter asked, "Kinda exhausting to carry a coffin all by yourself…and a tad bit scary."  
"Well, it's their duty." Pecker shrugged, "The prince takes the late King down by himself. It is their honor."  
"I call it depressing and scary." Daxter mumbled.  
"Wow." Jak muttered and cleared his throat, "…Next question…you…well, Onin…whichever, you guys mention the tests of manhood."  
"What about it?" Pecker asked.  
"…Is it as harsh as you make it sound?" Jak asked.  
"Well, from what is known, it is said to test the very essence of the precursian being." Pecker came, "The trial not only tests the heir's magical skills, but their physical strength as well. The trial will be difficult. If you do not use your brains and brawns equally, you will die." That made Jak's stomach lurch and leap. The kid…would he make it?  
"Is there anything else you need to know?" Pecker asked. Jak shook his head slowly.  
"The items I collected…the lens cap, crystal, and gear…"Jak started.  
"Onin's still dealing with it, give her time." Pecker scoffed. Jak nodded, looking around the hut for them. It was nowhere to be found.  
They left the hut, the sky still cloudy. As they did so, Pecker glanced a bit towards Ani. Onin made a comical gesture.  
"What? Hey! Don't tease me like that!" Pecker cried out, "I was SO not staring at the crocadog because I think the pup is cute!"

………………

"So, we got to find ANOTHER random mystic item." Daxter groaned, "How many crap did Mar make in his lifetime? And it's on a Lurker totem! Great, we face more Lurkers."  
"Come on, Kami was an indication that Lurkers aren't so bad," Jak pointed out.  
"Give me a more convincing reason, Jak." Daxter spoke with eyes half closed. Jak groaned, frustrated at his attempt to convert Daxter, "if Kiera was here, she'd agree with me, she doesn't like them either." Jak groaned.

They made their way to Brutter with Puar seeming to know who he is.  
"He's famous in the bazaar." Puar replies, "He owns a trinket shop, selling rare items he finds."  
"I see." Jak mumbled, "Is he famous because of his items?"  
"Well, something else really." Puar answered. Jak pondered some more on this "something else" and got the answer when he saw who Brutter was.

"What th-" Daxter retorted, clinging onto Jak. Brutter…was a Lurker! A lurker who didn't look as though he was in shackles or chains and beaten harshly by precursians. Jak and Daxter eyed each other with great concern. This could be a trap for all they knew, so they approached with caution. Upon intact, Brutter burst with enthusiasm.  
"Little orangey warrior! You have done great thing for Brutter and Lurker people!" Brutter cried out and then proceeded to kiss Daxter who didn't exactly expect a wet one from a Lurker. He wasn't quite pleased either. "Eeeck! No toucha the 'do'. " Daxter swished his hair back.  
"Oh, sorry… (he patted Daxter's head) You great guys!" Brutter shouted, lifting arms up, "Brutter not forget. Brutter pay you back. You see!"   
Jak and Daxter stood frozen for a brief moment. Ani and Puar just merely staring at the two gaping figure.  
"Ummm…why are you congratulating us? What did we do?" Daxter asked.  
"You saved fellow Lurker brother life? You save Kami, yes?" Brutter asked.  
"How did you know?" Jak asked, instead of answering.  
"Brutter know because Brutter keep contact with his Lurker brothers and sisters…well, ones who still talk with Brutter." Brutter cleared his throat, "Kami safely home to family and friends." That greatly lifted up Jak's spirit.  
"I'm so glad to hear that." Jak forced a smile, "Wow…that made my day."  
"Brutter got call from Krew that you help Lurkers get free, is true?" Brutter asked.  
"Yea, I guess." Jak placed a hand on the back of his head. Brutter then proceed to shout, his arms in the air like this was some choral in a church.  
"Oh, Brutter is happy to meet precursians like you who care for Lurker brothers and sisters!" Brutter sniffed back a tear. He proceeded to cry…loudly, and then hugged the hell out of Jak with his big, gorilla arms. Jak was embarrassed, flattered, and more embarrassed. Several people stared at Jak and gave out such insulting comments.

"Ugh, he loves a Lurker."  
"How revolting!"  
"A precursian and a Lurker, the day I lived to see…"  
"I bet that Lurker is covered in fleas."

Jak managed to let himself go, keeping a scoffing face on the people who were prejudice against Lurkers.  
"Oh…Brutter is sorry." Brutter sniffed, "Brutter must control himself…Brutter is sad at times. Business been slow since Lurkers became slaves. Everyone mostly avoid Brutters and buys when they need to. Brutter cannot keep paying Krew money, so I hope you work for free."  
"I see." Jak muttered, putting an elbow to the counter, sitting on one of the stools. Ani sat on the next one near Jak.  
"For saving Kami, is there something Brutter can do?"  
"Looks like you got some beer barrels there." Daxter eyed the wooden barrels sitting next to Brutter.  
"Ooh, you wants drinks!" Brutter gasped excitedly.  
"I do, baby! Lay it on me!" And Daxter drank. Jak pondered for a while.  
A Lurker who isn't enslaved…how? Brutter didn't look like most Lurkers either. His hair weren't as out of place as other Lurkers Jak had seen. Brutter had neat, short hair, obviously kept combed. He wore a blue shirt that was too tight, even for him, animal coating surrounding his neck, upper chest, and shoulders, and glasses. Small glasses that could fit the head of an average human being. To top it all off, he held two light blue feathers on his head.  
Brutter's little trinket shop was a small, cramped place, stocked with food and items. Many had feathers. From the looks of it, the rare items he kept were possibly Lurker heirlooms. There were plenty of crates that read, "Wumpa Fruits" on it. Brutter was only half shown as he stood behind the shop which had a counter. Neon signs graced the top which oddly read "Fish", plus some small words that said, "Brutter's Trinket and Bar Shop". Truth to the title, it was a trinket shop and beer site (or any other drinks or that matter). And like the title said, fishes hung from the roof of his little shop.

"Brutter?" Jak asked as Daxter drank greedily.  
"Yes?" Brutter looked on while wiping the counter.  
"Lurkers are slaves…how come you're not?" Jak asked, wondering if the question was a little too personal and offending to ask. Brutter did stay silent for a few seconds before answering.  
"I've been working here since before Praxis ruled." Brutter came in, "Once Lurkers started to become slaves; I went to Palace to place compliant. Though I could not free my Lurker Brothers and sisters, I was given permission from to continue work. I'd say the Queen had handle in this. Hee."  
"Wait, the Queen?" Daxter waved his hand, "You mean to tell me Praxis has a WIFE?"  
"No, mother." Brutter shook his head.  
"Praxis' mother?"Jak shrieked.  
"Queen has near same status as King." Brutter continued, "Reason why I still stand."  
"If the Queen has such high status in the same level as the King, why does she not fight for this cause?"  
"I said near high status." Brutter shook his one large, beefy finger, "She makes rules and laws as well, but is not higher then King, so she not get final say in most thing. Concerning me not being slave, Baron Praxis gave Brutter permission, but it obvious it was on suggestion from the Queen."  
"So, why on Precursia would he listen to someone of lesser status, even if it's his mom?" Daxter asked.  
"Simple, he afraid of his mother, of course!" Brutter smiled, showing off his massive fangs.  
"Ain't that something, the baron's afraid of something." Daxter crossed his arms.  
"Although he doesn't know I secretly helping Lurker brothers and sisters." Brutter cleared his throat, "I secretly save my Lurker buddies. They is my people! They is not deserving to be slaves! And Brutter's first time meeting people like you who care for our cause. "Jak and Daxter grinned from ear to ear.  
"So, what is brother's names?" Brutter asked, getting more beer for Jak (who declined, saying he doesn't drink).  
"I'm Jak; this is Daxter, Ani, and Puar." Jak answered, pointing to each of his friends as he introduced them.  
"Ahh, famous Jak Bannon!" Brutter gasped, "Brutter half-believed it would be you."  
"Bannon is not my last name." Jak said through gritted teeth. Brutter said a resounding, "oh, sorry."  
"Well, if Brutter needs you, Brutter call, I give you phone number." He went over to Puar and typed in his number, "For saving Kami, fellow brother, you ask Brutter anything for help! I help! Repay back!" Jak and Daxter both nodded, Ani staring at Brutter. Brutter…a free Lurker.  
"Maybe you can help us find the Tomb of Mar." Jak started, "I heard the Baron is looking for it in the dig."  
"Oh, no tomb there." Brutter quickly answered, his back turned to them as he started to clean the beer cups.  
"Are you sure?" Jak asked, double checking.  
"I know all caves like back of claw, and Mar's tomb no where there!" Brutter answered, his face glowing before showing his gloomy face again, "Now Metal Heads find hidden Lurker village in caves! They bite, and hurt village real bad, and we Lurker brothers and sisters trapped like animals!"  
"Ah, hello, they are animals." Daxter stood on the counter, oblivious to the fact that he to, was one.  
"We Lurkers have had it rough for years…I is sad. Less then 2000 of us left. Not enough." Brutter shook his head, "Praxis' army also try and lure Lurker friends out and imprison them. The Baron will not lay rest until all us Lurkers are slaves; men, women, and children."  
"That ruddy bastard." Jak muttered under his breath.  
"They is enemies, they and Metal Heads, too." Brutter cried.  
"Yeah, I guess we're all in the same boat now." Jak nodded, eyeing the sky, still cloudy. A harsh wind blew, making Jak clutch his overcoat over his face.  
"And the ship is sinking fast, brother." Daxter sighed.  
"And to think I wanted to be part of the King's force." Brutter sighed, looking at the snowy floor, "But that was back when King Barailor, older brother to Praxis was still King."  
"You wanted to be part of the King's force…a Krimzon Guard?" Jak gasped. Brutter nodded slowly before speaking again.  
"King Barailor had position open for me." Brutter spoke, "And it hard since Lurkers and precursians are still straining, even when we weren't slaves back then. King Barailor and I would show how much Lurkers and Precursians can get along…but it is not so now." Brutter sulked. Jak pondered for a good second or so, before a light bulb entered his head.  
"Brutter…maybe that dream can become a reality." Jak started. Brutter gave an appropriate, "huh?"  
"Brutter, I'm on a quest to return Prince Christof to the throne and I know that kid is greatly concerned for the Lurkers." Brutter nodded and spoke, "Yes, I met him before, he care great for Lurker buddies."  
"And since I'm going to the dig anyways to get a special item, maybe we can help the other Lurkers. I'll bring Prince Christof with me and we can go and see what we can to try and form an alliance." Jak grew eager, "We can certainly use the Lurkers help against the rebellion." Brutter sighed.  
"It not easy." Brutter spoke, "Lurkers not listen so easily."  
"Brutter, you're the only one who can take us to that village." Jak sighed, "With your help, you could possibly lead a new prosperity for your people. I know the child will do whatever he can to help you guys and truth be told, I wanna help to…I just want to make up for…what I did…in the past."  
"What you do?" Brutter asked.  
"Nothing…" Jak regretted telling him that little info, "Come on, Brutter. You wanna be stuck here freeing Lurkers in secret when half the time, they get recaptured again? You want to be a Krimzon Guard? You  
want the Lurkers who ARE free to suffer in their village where they actually have to hide to live a peaceful life?" Brutter still kept silent, but was intrigued.  
"Seriously, we precursians gotta deal with crap, too, but we deal with it. We don't runaway from it or hope it goes away." Jak sighed, "We don't think small, we think big, because small obviously doesn't work in this case. Brutter…I have to find this special item, that's another reason I have to go, it's one of those things I gotta do from keeping Praxis do more terrible things. I need your help…the Lurkers need your help."  
"It not SIMPLE!" Brutter shouted, causing nearby people to stop and stare for a while, "I cannot go back to hidden village!"  
"Why! Why the bloody hell not?" Jak shouted back, "Because you're afraid?"  
"Because I is banned from village!" Brutter shouted, "I IS BANNED!" Silence. The shame on Brutter's face was plain and obvious.  
Jak closed his mouth, "Why are you banned?"  
"For befriending precursians…the former King to be exact." Brutter answered. Jak sighed. Daxter, Puar, and Ani watching this drama unfold, "We Lurkers not take too kindly to precursians."  
"Brutter, please." Jak was desperate, "Don't sit down on your ass hoping for a miracle! Get up and do something!" Jak was getting tired from yelling, so he sat down and took a few short breaths. Brutter again remained silent, this time, pondering.

Who was this boy? He has heard such miraculous stories and how Jak has managed to put hope in the people of slums, even in other parts of the city. Stories of Jak spread. He was everyone's hope now. How could Brutter doubt someone who does something and created miracles and actual happiness in Haven City? Where did that boy come from? It's like he came from thin air. A gift from the Precursors. Brutter sighed.  
"I do not understand where Brother Jak came from." Brutter spoke, "Never have I heard of such optimism from someone in city before. It like you fell out sky." Jak laughed sheepishly when Brutter spoke that.  
"…You inspire…Brutter…OH…I WILL COME TO HIDDEN LURKER VILLAGE!" Brutter proceeded to hug Jak again who struggled a "Good for you."  
"I'll bring Christof and we can get going." Jak winked, "I have an air train pass that can get us there." Brutter nodded.  
"We'll make a schedule when we meet again, so we can go." Jak stated.  
"Oh, this day truly make Brutter happy!" Brutter said, cupping his hands together while sniffing back tears.  
Jak forced a slight smile before grinning again. Saving Lurkers…getting one step closer to finding the tomb…quite a day indeed.  
**To Be Continued…**


	16. The Lurkers

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part II: The Precursor Stone  
Chapter 16: The Lurkers**

"_Okay, everyone, in position!" shouted the director. Jak was in the school's stage where costumes, props, and the likes were being set and made. Jak eyed his script again and again, despite Zera repeating how much she liked it. Coming from her, that meant a lot._

"_Can I have my notebook back now?" Jak asked.  
"Not yet, AFTER the play." Zera hissed, "The play had better be a success or else." And she made another threat of wanting to tear Jak's notebook. Jak sighed, though in his head, he was excited about the play as much as she was.  
"So, who's the main female lead?" Zera asked.  
"I thought you read the script." Jak raised a hand.  
"Just tell me!" Zera hissed again. Whenever she glared, her eyes looked almost like a snake's. Jak rolled his eyes.  
"A poor slum girl named Nadia." Jak mumbled, the name "Nadia" randomly thought of in his head when he was making the play, "Zera, I hope you can sing, this IS a musical."  
"OF COURSE I CAN!" She shouted, "I'm the best when it comes to the arts. There isn't anything I can't do." She made a rather glamorous pose, one arm high up, one arm down, her head up, her hips arched.  
"Someday…I'll be a true star." Zera sighed, "And I'll be performing for stages everywhere." Jak rolled his eyes again, shook his head slightly, and smiled a bit. They already got through the castings. The main male role was being played by a boy named Kil. Kil was a shy boy everywhere he went, but on stage, he lit up like the star, moon, and sun together. He wasn't popular and he got sick just as much as Jak does, but everyone knew him. Zera had to complain before accepting him to be Prince Christof due to his pretty low status in the popularity chart.  
Kiera, though not an actress, was part of the play as she handled the electricity. No one was better at technology in school then her. Daxter, too, volunteered in the play to act as the prince's bumbling sidekick, Anso, who Jak made in honor of his red haired friend. Daxter was more then pleased, though he was a little disturbed on the "bumbling part." Occasionally, Samos and I would come and see his work. I wasn't very fond of Zera's harsh, pompous attitude, especially towards Jak._

_When Jak noticed me one day, he came over and showed me who would be playing who:_

_Prince Christof (the main hero)**……………………………**Kil Manaslay  
Nadia (a poor slum girl whom Christof falls for)_**………..**_Zera Vonahorn (of course)  
Anso (Christof's bumbling sidekick)_**……………………….**_Daxter Kino  
Rip (A harsh former guard of the royal family)_**………….**_.Toni Mcflanger  
Kuno (Christof's old mentor)_**……………………………...**_Jerry Mac  
Bea (Rip's childhood friend, tough female soldier)_**………**_.Petri Samson  
Taki (A free Lurker)_**……………………………...**_.No one  
Bannon (a mysterious man who helps Christof)_**…………..**_Chaze Sinclair  
King Eli (The harsh uncle to Christof)_**……………………..**_Nic Bellows  
Millia (Christof's loyal dog)_**……………………………...**_Kristi Kio  
Bloy (A fat owner of a bar, devious)_**……………………….**_Mat Trevor (I have to wear a FAT suit!)  
Horo-Quans (Monsters with gems on their forehead)_**……..**_Traci Kem, Jo Leeki, Han Lolu_

_I eyed it again and again and said a small "hmmm."  
"Jak…who's playing the Lurker?" I asked. Jak sighed.  
"That's the trouble, we don't know." Jak took the script, "Everyone refuses to be the Lurker."  
"Well, we don't like Lurkers and they don't like us." I sat down next to him, on the edge of the stage.  
"I know." Jak whined, "But everyone has good inside." I gave him a hearty pat on the back.  
"We can do without the Lurker." Zera groaned, "Like I want those hairy beasts in my play."  
"Her play?" I scoffed.  
"Zera, the Lurker's role is important." Jak struggled, "I have to find a part." Zera stuck her nose in the air and continued to admire herself. Jak groaned in frustration and walked off.  
"Oh, dear." I mumbled, going after him. He was already outside the school, walking off to a small beach outside where he stared at the sky. Sunset was nearing us. I could already see the purples and orange, but the blue sky still stood._

"_Jak, are you okay?" I asked.  
"I feel…angry." Jak had his hands on his wrist, "Why?"  
"Well, because you spent your heart and soul in this play and it's not going the way you'd expect."  
"Yea, that must be it." Jak sat down, "All I've been doing lately is whining…some 13 year old I am, I sound like I'm 8."  
"You didn't whine when you were 8." I sat down next to him, the sand feeling soft, yet a bit stingy. Jak nodded, his face showing he doesn't agree though, "On the contrary, you were a rather quite kid." Jak made a sympathetic gesture.  
"Just take it one day at a time, something good will come of this." I pointed out, "Good things will happen to good people in the end." Jak nodded again. He kept a slight "I don't really know what to believe" face.  
"It's just that the play means so much to me." Jak continued, "Most of them are from dreams I had and I love these dreams, however terrible it may be. It feels like there is truth in these dreams."  
"I see." I stared at the sand, watching the waves try and reach out feet, noticing how much Jak is remembering, yet still not aware. Everyday, I cringe to tell him his true origin, but in the end, my mouth is clamped shut. Would he hate me that I kept this a secret for so long? We both stared out to the sea, our faces filled with serene thoughts._

_Then his face started to cringe. He was eyeing something on the sea._

"_What is it?" I stared, too. I was assumedly staring at the same thing Jak was, a huge lump floating this way. It was pitch black from the sunset, but its true colors showed as it came closer. Jak dived into the water a little to help pull whatever it was in.  
"It's very furry." Jak gasped, "And heavy!"  
I decided to help push it in. To our shock, we were face-to-face a Lurker! An unconscious one, apparently.  
"What do we do?" Jak asked, giving me his hopeful face.  
"I guess we take him inside." I suggested, "But we must be careful so people will not notice." Jak nodded, determined. We lifted him up and placed his arms around out shoulders. He gave a soft groan. We observed to see his head was bleeding. Someone must have knocked him unconscious._

_After lugging the giant creature for a good few minutes (careful to make sure no one was watching) we lured him into our house where we bandaged his head and iced it. The Lurker stayed unconscious for the entire night, Jak watching over the creature all night. The Lurker was sleeping on couch where half his legs were sticking out, showing that even the couch was too small for this Lurker. The blood was seeping through his bandage. Jak rested on the armchair next to the Lurker, refusing to leave until he woke up. I gave up trying to urge him back to his room, so when he fell asleep, I just gave him a blanket._

_Morning fast approached and I came downstairs, surprised to Jak and the Lurker chatting with each other._

"_Oh, there's my uncle!" Jak gasped, "Uncle, come look! He's awake!"  
"Hello." The Lurker waved, "So…you also saved my life. I thank you."  
"…You're welcome." I strained, coming down slowly to Jak and the Lurker. I was unsure on the giant creature. As far as anyone of us knew, Lurkers were bad news.  
"I am Milo." The Lurker introduced himself, "I come from far off Lurker village."  
"How did you end up in the ocean?" Jak asked, with an eager tone to his voice.  
"I had a fight with another Lurker and he knocked me unconscious." Milo answered, "Since our village is at edge of the ocean, Milo fell in when he knocked me. I must have been drifting for a day…maybe."  
"A day, wow." Jak smiled.  
"Impossible! You cannot survive a day with your face in water, can you?" I gasped, since that was the way we found him. Unlike Jak, I had little information on animals.  
"Lurkers can breathe much longer then we can, Uncle." Jak answered.  
"Oh." I lowered my head.  
"I guess Lurkers were wrong in that Precursians hated us." Milo touched the back of his head.  
"Actually, most of our species does." I corrected, "Jak is an exceptional. He doesn't fear you at all."  
"And you?" Milo asked.  
"…A little." I spoke, ashamed.  
"Understandable, the same can be said for my people, that, and bitter hatred." Milo cleared his throat, "Not me though, I always interested in Precursians. I'm an outcast, you could say. A reason I got into that fight and landed here."  
"I know that feeling, Mr. Milo." Jak half-smiled, "I know how hard it is…not to be accepted." Milo, too smiled.  
"I must go home." Milo sighed, "My family must miss me."  
"You have a family?" I asked, asking sincerely and not of disrespect.  
"Yes, papa and mama, older brother, very strong. I is youngest, only a boy."  
"You're only a young man?" I asked. Milo nodded.  
"Banished…how horrible." Jak muttered, "I like Lurkers and everyone knows, but the mayor would never vanish me…maybe it's because he thinks I like all animals."  
"You pretty much do, Jak." I sighed. Jak nodded sheepishly.  
"We'll think of a way to get you home." Jak suggested, "Until then, you can live here with us…right, Uncle?" I wanted to protest, keeping a Lurker in this village was certainly about as wise as swimming in a shark infested ocean, but the look on Jak's eyes and that kindness inside of him, lend me to agree to let Milo stay. Milo was more then thrill.  
"I can learn more about the precursians!" Milo gasped. Jak and I nodded, I was a little unenthusiastically as Jak' was.  
"Now, I got to find someone who can play as the Lurker in my play." Jak mumbled, grabbing a pencil to have a brainstorming session._

………………………

**Haven City**  
**Month 14: **Bonia, Day 4 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

It took a full month or so to clear a schedule for both Brutter and Jak (the latter stuffed with so many missions down his throat since the last time he meant Brutter). They settled on a chilly, cloudy day in the beginning months of Bonia.

The Air train was located in the Port. Despite it being in the middle of winter, Brutter warned Jak to dress lightly once they reached their destination. The child was once again, full of glee to be with Jak. No longer calling him "Mr. Jak,", he affectingly started calling by his first name. Daxter, Ani, and Puar all tagged along. Brutter, before he left, manage to place a "Gone for a while" sign before he left. Needless to say, the people were relieved that Brutter had left, half of them thinking that he would never come back, the other half hoping he wouldn't come back.  
Pulling his red scarf to cover his mouth and nose, Jak handed his Air Train pass to the Krimzon Guard guarding it, hoping he wouldn't noticed "Jak Bannon."  
"You're clear, hop on." the guard spoke. Jak nodded and pushed the others in. The guard stopped when Brutter was about to enter.  
"Any Lurkers living in Haven City are not allowed to leave!" He ordered. Jak (who had a lease around Brutter so to pretend the Lurker was his slave) got in front of the guard.  
"This slave is with me." Jak ushered, then came closer to the guard and whispered, "He's being punished." The guard merely nodded and left them through.  
Inside the Air Train was not your idea of a limo ride. The insides were gray and plain. Two seats hung from the wall, as hard as the surrounding wall, ceiling, and floor. This was more prison vehicle then service ride. The taxi cab driver was only shown through a small window where he asked Jak and the others where to go.  
"To the dig, sir." Jak responded. The taxi driver stood silent for a minute and then said, "That's only for the Baron, miners, slave Lurkers, and Krimzon Guards."  
"I happen to be a miner, a new one!" Jak scoffed, "Me and my slave Lurker…and my pets."  
"Whatever." and the air train flew. It flew above the city and headed north. The trip took a massive two hours, during which time the heroes chatted softly. It landed on a small launch pad and quickly left as he landed.

"Hey, how will we get back?" Daxter asked, annoyed.  
"We'll worry about that later, come on, let's move." Jak waved his arm, signaling to move on.  
"So, where is this hidden Lurker village anyway?" Daxter asked.  
"I assume we head in there." Jak pointed to a cave where there were several lamps hung on the walls, as well as a glowing red light coming from the lava.  
"Do we go in that way or is there some secret way in, Brutter?" Jak asked.  
"There is secret way, but it too far dangerous." Brutter suggested, "Come, I take you through fastest and safest way."

Fast was right, safe…nuh-uh. The main way in, the heroes rode down an elevator and almost came face to face with Krimzon Guards. Jak gasped and quickly pushed the others behind a large rock, big enough to hide even Brutter. They peeked their heads out.  
"Holy crap." Daxter whispered. What they saw was the jackpot of Krimzon Guards, miners, and more slave Lurkers. The miners dugged the deep and hot earth, all donning construction hats, all sweating, all dirty. Lurkers lugged the heavier objects while both miners and Lurkers operated heavy machinery. Krimzon Guards constantly patrolled nearly every section of the dig. The reason was not because they valued the lives of the Lurkers or miners (Praxis' speech, "Everyone is expendable"), but because of a huge machinery stuck in the middle of the dig site, a giant drill that was digging deeper into this planet.  
"Look at the size of that drill." Jak gasped, eyeing the heavy piece of machinery, "If only I could just get rid of it." He eyed the drill's suspenders, giant thick ropes.  
"Later, we focus on the Lurkers right now." The kid ordered. Jak nodded, a bit hesitant.  
"Great, what now?" Puar mumbled.  
"There is secret cave hole pass dig." Brutter pointed.  
"WHAT?" Daxter whispered in shock, "We have to pass them!"  
"We don't have to." Jak whispered, "We can go on the sides. There are rocks that can hide us as we pass. We just have to be extra quiet and quick on our feet. If the guards hear or sees us, we run for that secret hole, got it?" The rest nodded.  
"I'll go first." Jak spoke, "When all is clear, I'll make a gesture to let you know when to move." And so with that, Jak left the rock and slowly started to head for the next rock located on the side.  
"How do those guards survive in this heat?" Daxter stared, "Their armors are thick!"  
"Built in coolers." The kid answered, "Oh, look, he's gesturing us to move."  
"Your majesty, you go first." Puar urged, "Ani, you go as well to protect the kid." The kid nodded and he and Ani quickly left, quietly going over to where Jak was. Daxter and Puar went next, and lastly Brutter. This went on for a while, all were surprised they made it this far.  
"This is getting tense." Daxter muttered.  
"Pull yourself together!" Puar hissed. Jak ordered them both to "shut up." He then turned his gaze to the dig site.  
"Okay, we're more then halfway there." Jak reported, "Be extra quiet."

And they went about their same sneak approach. They reached their destination. Brutter searched around, and then quickly started to roll a rock half his size. Once he rolled it all the way through, a small entrance was revealed.  
"We go in here." Brutter whispered. Jak nodded and quickly shoved the kid in. The animals and Puar went next.  
"Go." Brutter gestured to Jak. Jak nodded and crawled in, the hole too small to let him walk standing. Brutter searched around some more, then went in to, making sure to put the rock back so as no one else would find it.

The heroes crawled in a rather cool tunnel, which is a heavy irony considering they were in a practically living volcano. Once out, it became hot again. Jak and the kid were down in sweat. Daxter and Ani, being animals didn't sweat, but their feelings toward the heat were all the same as Jak and the child. Only Brutter and Puar felt remotely used to it.  
"Did you bring in cool clothes like Brutter suggested?" Brutter asked. Jak nodded and whipped out his light clothing.  
"Okay, we'll change over by that rock." Jak suggested, pulling him and the kid behind it. The clothes change took a while, for the warm clothings had stuck to their wearers through sweat. Once in their cooler outfis, Jak and the child felt a great sense of relief, despite them still feeling drastic heat.  
Jak sported his summer/spring wear, an indigo colored tunic (the same color as his normal, usual indigo wear), light in fabric, short sleeve, long in that it reached near his knees, though he wore a brown belt. Pockets graced the chest area. He wore indigo colored fingerless gloves. His pants were remotely the same white ones he always wore. The same for the shoes. Jak took notice and tied his hair back top to create a ponytail. The child was merely wearing his familiar white shirt and overalls, though with boots as walking on the jagged and hot grounds was no good use for bare feet.

"Okay, let's go." Jak mumbled as he stuff in his warm clothes in his backpack. Brutter nodded and lead the way. This area was fortunately free of Krimzon Guards, but lava and dangerous hot springs sprung out of nowhere. Brutter and Puar walked on with no hesitation, but the rest were staggering under the heat and occasionally, Daxter freaked out whenever a hot spring made its "HISSSS" sound.

"Almost there." Brutter tried to add in some happiness to this friends, but to no avail. Brutter must've have said, "_almost there_" that it no longer held any sense of truth in their eyes. They also took a while to realize that they were walking up.  
"We almost there." Brutter spoke again.  
"Brutter, stop saying that!" Jak groaned, "Every time you do, it's like you're extending the trip."  
"Sorry." Brutter felt slightly offended, "Ooh, we here!"  
"Huh?" cried the heroes. Jak and the others opened their half eyes fully and gasped. There it was…the hidden Lurker village.  
"Home sweet home, I suppose." Brutter muttered.  
The Lurker village was truly a different site opposed to the countless rocks, lavas, and stalagmites and stalactites the heroes have seen in their travels. The villages hung high, high above tall, rocky pillars. Bridges were the only way to get in and get out. There were quite a few huts, some bigger then others. Jak assumed the biggest one belonged to their leader if Lurkers had one. The volcanic surface surrounding the village had no ceilings, so the sky could be easily seen.  
"Okay, I guess we can go." Daxter suggested. He headed for the nearest bridge (which was composed of wood and rope), but stopped and screamed.  
"What?" Jak cried out, running to Daxter. The little ottsel climbed quickly to Jak's shoulder.  
"I can't cross this!" Daxter shouted, "The bottom below is entirely lava!"  
"Well, what you expect?" Brutter asked.  
"Excuse me, Brutter, you may be used to this, but I am NOT!" Daxter shouted.  
"It's okay." Jak groaned, "We'll go slowly." Daxter refused to leave Jak's shoulder as Jak crossed the bridge, making creaking sounds for each step they took. It was a surprise that the weak looking bridge manage to hold a lot of weight. They walked ever so slowly, none but Brutter and Puar refusing to look down. Daxter, for some reason, was holding his breath, afraid that if he didn't stop holding it in, he would die. Once across, Daxter let out a huge gasp of air, and then proceeded to gasp. Jak, too gasped, with the child and Ani following afterwards. The group were head to head with a group of Lurkers, ALL with anger in their faces.  
"Oh-No." Puar whispered hovering near Jak. Jak had his hands on the kid's shoulder and pulled him closer to his side.  
The group of Lurkers took a long stare at Jak and his friends, then at Brutter. They gasped. The one in front spoke.  
"Brutter?"  
"Akai." Brutter said.  
"You is back!" The one known as Akai spoke.  
"Yes, Akai, I is back." Brutter sighed, sounding as if he regretted returning. The Lurker named Akai stared down at Jak and the kid, then growled back at Brutter.  
"YOU BRING PRECURSIANS?" Akai shouted, "YOU EXPOSE OUR HIDDEN VILLAGE TO UGLY PRECURSIANS?" Jak took offense, but didn't say anything out of pure risk. Now was NOT the time to do anything stupid.  
"Akai, let me explain!" Brutter shouted, "They is GOOD precursians! They is come to help Lurker people!" Akai scoffed.  
"LIE!" he shouted, "THERE IS NO GOOD PRECURSIANS! ALL EVIL!"  
"We assure you, we're on your side." The kid came in, pulling himself away from Jak, who ended up being pulled back by Jak, his arms wrapped around the child's chest now, like an overprotective parent.  
"No." Akai spoke in a calm manner, "You ALL come with us to see Village leader! You, too, Brutter!" And the Lurkers all surrounded Jak and the others, armed with spears, bows and arrows, crossbows, any sort of primitive weaponry.  
"Come, do as they saids." Brutter suggested. Jak nodded and started to move. Daxter was now clinging onto Jak's hair, royally messing it up. Jak tightly held the child's hand, vowing never to let go out of fear of loosing him. Puar hovered nearby, Ani following close to the child.  
"What will happen to us?" The kid whispered, who ironically, started to speak like a child and not as a prince.  
"I don't know." Jak whispered, "What will happen, Brutter?"  
"It depend." Brutter whispered back, "If leader chief sees us as ally, we is okay, if not…we is dead."  
"Dead?" Daxter gulped, "How dead?"  
"Well, for precursians, you is could be tossed in lava or get fed to giant monsters. Anything possible."  
"Great, that makes me feel SOOOOO much more comfortable." Daxter's sarcastic remark rang true to everyone. For one, the child was shaking.  
"Jak…" He gasped in fear. Jak held the kid's hand even tighter.  
"I won't let them do anything to you." Jak emphasized the "anything" and "I promise." The kid nodded slowly.  
"Silence!" Akai shouted. They walked past numerous huts where Lurkers; men, women, and children watched in shock at witnessing Jak and the kid.

Jak eyed the group of Lurkers who all surrounded them. They were a few inches bigger then Brutter and showed more signs of threatening. They wore mostly brown, leather outfits, ranging from vest to tank tops or whatever they felt comfortable with. They were all rugged and ruined, as if they've all been to battle numerous times. Feathers graced their head. The leader had the most feathers on his head. Upon further look, these feathers were exactly the same two that Brutter wore on his head. The Lurker groups had on buckles, mostly in their arms, legs, and necks. Some Lurkers actually had on Metal armors. Where they got the metal armors were unknown. For all Jak knew, they could have made it. Several small weapons like knives made from rocks graced their belts. To top it all off, the Lurkers all had tattoos surrounding their face, arms, legs, whatever. Jak then noticed the Lurkers who were all staring from their huts.  
The male Lurkers were mostly shirtless with something wore underneath their waist, like a sumo-ish diaper, or pants. Most males had that familiar gold ring around their bottom lips. They were obviously taller then the females. The females had on clothes ranging from skimpy Amazonian-ish wears to full covered dresses. Unlike males' cheeks, the females' fringes on the sides of their mouth weren't round and bulgy, but edgy and sharp. It gave them an adorable appeal. Little children Lurker wore clothes or ran out nearly naked (it depended if you were a boy or a girl), but they didn't run. They stuck close to their parents who held them close. Any children Lurkers wanting to get a closer look at Jak and the kid due to curiosity was harshly taken back by their parents.  
It seemed the tattooed Lurkers that Jak and the others were with were warriors, protectors of the village. Jak stared at the village huts. Barrels, fish hanging loose, fruits, it was hard for Jak to know WHERE they get their foods. A hot place like this cannot simply hold fish and fruits, let along barrels! There was a blacksmith shop where Jak could witness the Blacksmith Lurker taking what looked like a stack of Krimzon Guard armor parts. He grabbed one of the shoulder pieces and got set to work. Hmmm, perhaps that is how Lurkers get their armor. Judging by the KG armors, it seems that the warriors plan a daily attack on the dig.  
The Lurker warriors lead Jak and the others into the biggest hut, which could belong to the leader, or so Jak thought. The heroes and Akai went in, the rest of the warriors waiting outside. Inside was a large room, yet cramped because it was surrounded by mystic items that Onin would be proud to own. In the middle set sat what Jak assumed was the chief. He was bundled with a tan blanket colorfully decorative and was smoking a long pipe.

"Chief, we have brought traitor Brutter who somehow, willingly came back despite banishment." Akai started, "He brought in two of evil precursians."  
"Evil?" Jak whispered in an offensive tone.  
"Shall I destroy them all?" Akai asked. The chief raised his beefy arm.  
"Let me speak with them." His voice was surprisingly deep and strong when Jak pictured a weak voice for a weak looking Lurker. How wrong he was. The chief stood up and he was just as tall and buff and beefy as any of the male Lurkers. His so-called blanket was his poncho which he wore proudly around his neck, gracing down to his chest. He had many feathers around his head, tattoos like the warriors, and a staff. The wrinkles on his face and white in some parts of his hair showed his signs of aging, but his physical appearance was that of any young Lurker; tough and proud. The leader came closer and closer to Jak, until he lowered his head down so that his furry face was close to Jak's.

"So, a precursian." the chief made a clear "_hmmm_" sound. Jak and the rest stood silent. The chief circled Jak and the child who was still wrapped around Jak's arms. Jak refuse to let the child go. The chief then eyed Brutter.  
"Excuse me." The chief gestured to Jak and the child. The old Lurker made his way to Brutter, making Jak and the child move away for the two Lurkers to chat.  
"…My chief." Brutter gulped.  
"Brutter…you have returned…" A brief silence fell, "…You have returned despite the fact that I have banned you for showing evidence of befriending the Precursians." Brutter lowered his head.  
"If there ever was more evidence of that, it's bringing in those two precursians and showing them our hidden Lurker village." The chief growled, raising his voice ever so slightly.  
"They is wanting to help Lurker people!" Brutter shouted.  
"What if they were lying to you?" The chief shouted, making Jak and his friends wince, "What if they do not speak purely?" Brutter was at a lost for words.  
"We can assure you we are speaking…ummm…purely." Jak spoke weakly, trying his hardest not to offend the Lurker chief.  
"Silence!" The chief barked. The child winced a bit, Jak tighten his grip on him.  
"How dare you wear the warrior's feathers?" The chief cried once more, pointing to the two light blue feathers on top of Brutter's head "This show signs you're loyal to the Lurker village. You are not loyal to the Lurker village!" Brutter gasped as Akai held Brutter as the chief harshly plucked the feathers off him. It fell gently on the ground, then picking up his staff, the Lurker chief blasted it to dust. Daxter nearly shrieked upon witnessing that the chief's staff was pumped with magic, the top now steaming with green smoke.  
"You shame the Lurker village!" The chief spat, "Because you've been given warnings for coming back to the village after being banned, you will face the consequences."  
"NO!" Brutter shouted, "PLEASE! I came for reason, GOOD reason! Do not take me to Nuka Nuka!"  
"Nuka Nuka?" Daxter scratched his head, "What the hell is that?"  
"Nuka Nuka is in need of fresh meat, it not eat nothing but Krimzon Guards." Akai answered…somewhat.  
"Wait…we're gonna be EATEN?" Daxter shouted, and then he started to yell for "HELP!", however little that actually worked. Puar would have flown for help if she wasn't held tightly by one of the guards. Jak and the child were practically lifted by the warriors to prevent them from kicking them. One Lurker had Daxter in one hand, Ani in another. Daxter continued his struggle for help while Ani barked as loud as it could. Puar, too made a commotion, namely thinking all was hopeless. The warriors left the hut with them in tow. Jak faced back to eye the elder chief, now being confronted by a female Lurker.  
"Oh, Puar is sad! Puar is upset! Puar will be eaten! Puar fail to save Master Christof!" Jak and the child remained surprisingly quiet. They were both obviously thinking of some way to escape. Meanwhile, Brutter started an argument with Akai.  
"So, this how you treat best friend?" Brutter shouted, "Toss me to Nuka!"  
"How can Brutter be best friends with Akai when Brutter betray Lurker people?" Akai shouted.  
"How can Akai not believe the word of Brutter!" Brutter argued back, "These precursians GOOD people! They come to help!"  
"No one help you now!"  
"Akai!" When he was called, he turned around and was face to face with a female Lurker who managed to catch up. The same Lurker Jak saw with the elder a minute ago. She stopped when they did and took the time to gasp for air.  
"Rena!" Both Akai and Brutter gasped, in the same shocked tone.  
"I heard from my dad that two precursians are being taken away and that Brutter is back!" Rena gasped. She saw Jak and the child and noticed what her father had said were true.  
"My dad said you're taking him to Nuka Nuka." Rena gasped.  
"Uh…yes, they is evil and Brutter betrayed our kind…AGAIN!" Akai shouted.  
"Akai, aren't they entitled to a fair trial!" Rena shouted, "Especially Brutter. I mean, there's a reason he must've have came back, risking his neck, AND with two precursians!"  
"I do not know, nor care!" Akai shouted, "They all must die!"  
"This is wrong, Akai!" Rena shouted, "We've always had a fair trial, even to the Krimzon Guards…even if all of them did ended up dead, Akai!" Rena made her "_pretty please_" face, to which Akai could no longer argue against her.  
"Fine." Akai spoke softly. He lured the heroes back where the chief was waiting, where he looked a bit embarrassed. Akai questionably stared at her.  
"Yea, she got to me, too." The chief sighed, starring at Rena, his daughter, "Fine, we will do a trial, tomorrow. Until then, they are to be sent to the dungeon."

They all took a breath of relief.  
"Great, we can sit on our asses all day." Daxter sarcastically spoke. How wrong he was. The Lurkers idea of dungeons were the heroes in shackles on their wrists and ankles where they were force to dig up rocks with their primitive weapons to build a barrier to further protect the village from outsiders.  
Jak and Brutter were the main diggers in the little group with the child and Daxter moving boulders to and fro. Daxter and Ani carried and dug the smaller rocks. Puar just kinda floated, tied to a large chain to a heavy rock.  
Soon, the two precursians were now in sweat.  
"Hey, how about some water?" Daxter ordered the warrior Lurker who was supervising them.  
"NO!" he glared, "Break Time NOT here."  
"They ain't gonna BE a break time cuz' we'll all be DEAD by then!" Daxter shouted.  
"Daxter, shut up!" Jak retorted, "These Lurkers are big enough to turn you into road kill!" Daxter, offended, grumbled and went about to work. Rena came shortly. The warrior bowed to her and stepped aside. Rena passed him and went over to the others.  
"Umm…hello." Rena spoke softly. The rest stopped, despite the glare on the warrior.  
"Rena." Brutter gasped, "Why you here? Won't your father be angry?"  
"That's the least of my concern right now." Rena scoffed, "…I can't believe you're back, Brutter."  
"…Well, yea." Brutter placed one of his massive hands behind his head, eyes half closed, his mouth drawn into a small grin.  
"I haven't seen you in about…10 years." Rena guessed, her voice soft spoken, "…Why did you really come back?"  
"These precursians." Brutter gestured, "They have come to help us Lurker people."  
"Just those two?" Rena gasped.  
"AHEM!" Daxter cleared his throat, while Ani stared, then rolled his eyes. Puar hovered just above them.  
"Oh, hello." Rena cleared her throat.  
"These precursians and animals help Lurker people." Brutter started.  
"I see." Rena sounded disappointment, "Forgive me for not feeling any happier, but how can two precursians handle an entire squad of Krimzon Guards?" Brutter opened his mouth, but no sound came, which led to further evidence that he had no damn clue.  
"Miss Rena, Jak has made quite an impact on my kingdom." The kid started, "He is but only one man, but he has done so much for my city against the tyranny of my uncle. I can assure you, he can do the same for this village and I pray I can, too."  
"You're royalty?" Rena gasped. The child nodded, "I am Prince Christof Aradi Del' Alazender Romanir the 3rd."  
"Oh, Prince Christof." Rena gasped, "Brutter told me about you. So…you wish to save this village?"  
"Well, it does look a bit dumpy." Daxter started, before Jak smacked him upside the head.  
"It used to be bigger…much bigger." Rena spoke softly, "But we Lurkers are dying, slowly."  
"Rena, you not think that way!" Brutter gasped, "You know better then think that way!" Rena looked down while Brutter placed his hands on her shoulder.  
"Awwww." Puar snuffled, "Aren't they cute together? And Rena is SO cute!" In Jak's eyes (he admitted), Lurkers weren't the most attractive of all the creatures he's seen, but concerning Rena, she had a very adorable appeal. Her hair was a different shade of brown (slightly lighter then normal Lurker hair color) and fashionably done well, giving her a beautiful edge, her figure was as slim as a normal Precursian girl, but she was just as magenta furred as the other Lurkers. Being female, she had fringes on her side of the cheek then the bulges that males do. Her outfit were brown leather, the top looking like a spaghetti strap wear, her bottom a mini-skirt-ish outfit, wristband on her wrist, and one two on her ankles. Very Amazon. Her face was round and her eyes, a beautiful light green. Like the warriors, tattoos also graced her body. Despite all this, she was still taller then Jak or any average Precursian males, standing a pretty good 6 foot tall or so (Jak was only 5'10). Her voice was light and cute, having a definite mature tone as well. She was an exceptionally beautiful creature and even Daxter couldn't help but feel some slight attraction to her.

"I told my dad to give you guys a fair trial." Rena placed her slightly less beefier arms on Brutter's big ones, "I'll make sure of that."  
"I is nervous." Brutter sighed, "I finally see hope and it all go down in toilet."  
"You're gonna live, Brutter!" Rena gained confidence, "You promise to show me Haven City. You think I want to be stuck in this village all my life? I want to be able to not hide in this place and run wild and free. I'm in the Lurker army, but my father thinks I can't handle myself."  
"If you're in the army, how come you don't have a feather?" Jak asked.  
"Females aren't allowed to get one." Rena responded, sighing, "The Lurker traditions are strictly males over females. Possibly why my dad thinks I'm helpless when I can beat up nearly every one of the warriors here." She crossed her arms. Brutter lowered down to Jak and whispered, "She's not kidding." Daxter gulped.  
"And what's even worse, I've already come of age, so my dad is thinking of a husband for me." Rena sighed.  
"A…A husband?" Brutter walked backwards, obviously showing signs of jealously, "Who?"  
"I don't know." Rena sighed, "My older brother is helping my father choose…he's awfully picky."  
"Who's your brother?" Jak asked.  
"Akai." Rena almost regretted saying that.  
"Oh, precursors! He's not a great guy!" Daxter came, "I've only met him for about 15 minutes, but he is NOT a great guy."  
"He used to be, but not anymore, Akai and I once great friends, always promises to be together for each other, no matter what…Akai break that rule by not befriending me no more." Brutter sighed, "Because me am friends with Precursians."  
"I guess this dates all the way back to hundreds of years ago when Lurkers and Precursians once were friends." Jak sighed, remembering the story Kami told him, "How we used to be mates…then how we Precursians became greedy and took the Lurker's lands."  
"We don't blame you for what the Precursians did." Rena spoke, "You are not them and I believe Brutter when he said you two precursians are good people. After all, Brutter has never lied to me." Brutter smiled that smile.  
"Miss Rena, you return back home, your father worries." The warrior guarding spoke. Rena nodded.  
"I better go." Rena sighed, "Good luck."

It was hard to distinguish whether it was day or night if not for Puar who kept track of time. Leaving inside a volcano, no sunlight peaked through. Jak and the others were asleep in the prison hold which was mainly composed of cages made by bamboo sticks. The guards were really the reasons that prisoners couldn't escape so easily. The cage was crowded, but that was of little concern to the guards who harshly shoved them all in. In the end, Brutter fell asleep with just about everyone on top of him.

**Hidden Lurker Village**  
**Month 14: **Bonia, Day 5 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"WAKE UP!" cried the guards. Jak felt a surge of pain and realized he was being kicked. The rest were all awake, yet irritated, except Puar.  
They were all dragged, chained in the wrists and taken to the near end of the village.

"Oh, they're not going to chuck us over the edge, are they!" Daxter cried, "I thought we're having a trial! What the hell happen to that? Did someone forget to memo the chief? Does he realize there is hot, boiling lava down there and that we're ALL gonna melt a horrible death if we--"  
"SHUT UP!" Jak shouted, "I'll give you something more then a smack if you keep foreshadowing our death!" Thought Daxter was used to Jak yelling at him, he was still slightly hurt, but at the same time, he didn't blame him. Their situation so far was the worst one yet. The heroes found out that a trial was indeed, taking place.  
There stood an exceptional tall rock where the chief was. Several warriors stood, surrounding the court, including Akai. Juries were sitting on small rocks that served as chairs on one side. Many Lurkers from the village have come to see this trial of a lifetime. Rena was nowhere to be seen which greatly worried the heroes. The chief banged a small rock on the giant rock that was officially his "judge table."

"Order in the court." he spoke, and then he eyed the prisoners, mainly at Brutter and the precursians with a venomous gaze, "This trial stands on the accusation of the betrayal of one Brutter and the evil presences of the Precursians. Jak moaned in a worried, annoyed manner, "I wish he'd stop calling us "evil"."  
"This trial stands to see whether anyone of the traitorous creatures gets to live or die." The chief spoke clearly.  
"I'll say that 99 of the chief's choice would be in the "die" option." Daxter sarcastically, but truthfully spoke.  
"Before we begin, do we have anyone to defend you at all?" The chief asked. Such an obvious question could have garnered an obvious answer, but a clear voice rang out, "I'll defend them." The Lurkers gasped, who would dare fight for a traitor and precursians? It was Rena, who came marching in. Jak noticed the horrified look on his face. His daughter of all people! Akai wasn't all that pleased either.  
"I'll defend them or at least keep this trial fair." Rena started, "I'm getting sick and tired of standing around doing nothing but let people die."  
"Rena…"The chief gasped, hoping she would consider changing her mind.  
"No, father." Rena raised her hand near her face and waved it, emphasizing her "no", "Your judgment has been severely impaired since our believed mother has left. I won't let you escape without a fair trial."  
"Rena, are you fully aware that if you lose, you, too, could end up with these lots because of your friendship with _them, _your acceptance for who they are, that, you, too could end up dead?"  
"Yes." Rena nodded, "Why would it matter to you anyways, you've always had higher value on your son, Akai, then I." The chief felt a great surge of guilt running down the back of his neck, but cleared his throat and kept a straight face to remove that terrible feeling, "Let the trial begin." It was Akai who was questioning Brutter and the Precursians.  
"Okay, for first victim, I get Brutter to come up!" Akai pointed. Brutter sighed, and stared deeply at the others. Jak and the child urged him to go. Brutter went and sat on a small rock near the judge's rock. Akai circled Brutter like a hungry vulture over a dead carcass. He was severely enjoying this.

"So, Brutter, since any Lurker can remember, you always interested in Precursians." Akai started, "You even admit it to me and I promise not to tell because we once good friends. Then as we got older, it became more devastating because Lurker family kept accusing. And you, Brutter, even befriended a Precursian once, the one name King Barailor (The child made a small, sad face). You banished, never to return, yet you do, bringing in TWO Precurians. What you have to say? Why you return? Why you bring them?"  
"One question at a time, Akai!" Rena shouted.  
"Rena, silence, it is not your turn to speak!" The chief shouted, making Rena grumbled under her nose in anger.  
"I bought two precursians because they vow to help Lurkers." Brutter started, "They is already done good stuff to their city where evil King is doing bad stuff to it. I risked life, but I have returned because of it."  
"You NOT aware that these two evil precursians could be lying to Brutter's face?" Akai pointed to Jak and the kid.  
"I see truth in their eyes." Bruitter spoke, "Besides, hard not to believe when both fight against even their kind!" Akai groaned a little.  
"Brutter not aware what Precursians did to Lurker kind many hundreds of years ago?"  
"You talking of many hundreds of years ago. It long time. Time change, people need to get along more."  
"The precursians were greedy and took our land and way of life, reducing us Lurker kind to live in caves instead of great open. We Lurkers had to fend for ourselves at all time, it NOT fun! And now, Krimzon Guards try and make us become slaves! How you speak of that!"  
"It is only King Praxis who made us slaves." Brutter continued, "Other kings did not do such thing. Left us Lurkers alone. King Barailor did something by trying to befriend Lurkers and wanted to help us Lurker buddies."  
"And just WHERE is this King Barailor now?"  
"He dead. Killed by Metal Heads."

There was a brief moment of silence before Akai continued.

"Metal Heads?" Akai stared, Brutter nodded.  
"Metal Heads are enemies of Precursians as they are to Lurkers."  
"That don't make difference. This is fight between Precursian and Lurkers, not Metal heads. Leave them out of this. Even if it hundreds of years ago, what Precursians did to Lurkers is painful. What if these two related to greedy Precursians for long past?"  
"So what if they are?" Rena came, "It's not like every single family member will be the exact same in personality!"  
"It flows in their blood!" Akai shouted to his younger sister, "It FLOWS in their BLOOD!" Jak was so angry, he wanted to shout something, but so far, nothing came out. Now he kind of wished he was up in the stand.  
"How can it be said that every precursians are evil?" Rena asked, "You have no proof if these two precursians are good or bad. They haven't done anything to offend our kind!"  
"They offend by setting foot in village and Brutter offend by showing them hidden Lurker village. If we free them, they will tell other Precursians."  
"You have no proof of that." Rena scoffed, "If you guys stopped having such narrow-minded views-"  
"MY MIND CLEAR ON WHAT I SEE!" Akai shouted.  
"Mother never told us to act so rashly!" Rena shouted back, though her voice wasn't as loud as her brother's, "She always told us to think properly. Maybe you should talk with these guys! And besides, Brutter trusts and believes them and when has Brutter ever stirred us wrong?"  
"JUST SHUT UP!" Akai shouted, "I is busy questioning Brutter!"  
"You said you'd be there for Brutter when you were kids, even if he admitted his love for Precursians!" Rena shrieked, "You promised!"  
"Promise can be broken." Akai groaned.  
"You only broke it because you were afraid of getting prosecuted!" Rena hissed, "You didn't want this to affect your reputation as warrior and son of the chief. My brother is not like that! My brother is honorable!"  
"That is enough!" The chief shouted, "Akai, are you done questioning Brutter?"  
"Yes…I wish to question another." Akai requested.  
"Go on." The chief ushered, obviously not caring on Rena's side. Akai stared harshly at the precursians and pointed to Jak.  
"YOU! GET UP FOR QUESTIONING!" His voice was booming, as if one more accusation could lead him to go insane. Jak, meanwhile, gave a mixture of stun and concerned as he just stood there for a few seconds. He walked off and sat on the rock as other warriors, armed with spears stood nearby, ready to attack Jak if he did anything funny. Akai, too circled Jak.

"What is name, Precursian?" Akai asked.  
"Jak…sir." Jak thought he started of polite.  
"No last name?" Akai asked.  
"No." Jak made a purely disgusted face, he refuse to be called "Jak Bannon".  
"That strange, you must have last name!" Akai thought.  
"I am afraid I do not." Jak spoke, slight disgust in his mouth, "I was raise by my uncle whom…well, I don't know his name…he refused to tell me. I've always been just plain, "Jak." Akai nodded, and then continued to circle him, though he stared at him oddly.  
"You aware of Precursians and Lurker hatred?" Akai spoke.  
"I live in a city where Lurker slave is common." Jak spoke, "So, what do you think?" Akai stared at the chief.  
"Haven City, it is called, Akai." The chief told him, as if Akai wasn't aware of what this city was. Akai nodded.  
"Since you aware, you still come to Lurker village knowing this would happen?" Jak nodded, "Why?"  
"I wish to save the Lurker people."  
"LIAR!" Akai was ready to grab Jak's neck, "You came to kill all us Lurkers!"  
"Excuse me; we Precursians are not stupid enough to just blatantly walk in!" Jak cried out, "Especially since I only have a child, two animals, a COMP, and one Lurker. Yea, that's enough to get rid of an entire population of Lurkers!" His sarcastic voice also showed his angry side. His face was already red, but that could have been from the glow of the lava.  
"You have weapons, though!" Akai shouted, and he pulled out Jak's guns which were confiscated the day before, "I know of these things, these things called "guns!" Jak now wished he hadn't brought his guns and maybe, instead of a fruit basket.  
"You plan to kill us with hi-tech weaponry?" Akai shouted.  
"It was for protections!" Jak shouted.  
"From us?"  
"NO! From the Dig site! The Krimzon Guards are after me! I'm a wanted man!" The Lurkers gasped. The chief faced Brutter, "BRUTTER, YOU BRING A CRIMINAL PRECURSIANS? THAT'S EVEN WORSE!"  
"This…isn't going well, is it?" Daxter asked whoever was listening. Jak regretted ever saying he was wanted by Praxis. Akai continued to question.  
"So…a criminal Precursians…that even WORSE!" Akai shouted.  
"LOOK!" Jak stood up, the warriors raising their weapon as he did, "I know we precursians have done a lot of shit to you Lurkers, but you're forgetting that we Precursians are flawed. Hell, every one of us is! There is no good or bad thing about us! Greed is, unfortunately, one of the many qualities we all have! Every one of you, I am sure, has felt the sense of greed. Greed over money, greed over food… (Jak paused for second to catch his breath), we're BLOODY mortal! We're not like the Precursors who are flawless and perfect, who has no emotions and temptation. We Precursians have made a mistake in our past, and we are sorry, and even sorrier we have not done ANYTHING to help you guys, but we're doing it now. Why can't you accept the fact that not every single one of us hates you guys? Like Brutter, I grew up liking your species greatly!"  
"It is too little, too late!" The chief spoke, "You had many times to help us, but instead, left us alone to fend for ourselves! There is no justice to Precursians! NO SENSE we can be together! There hasn't been a solid lick of evidence that we can be one!"  
"Brutter and my father ARE evidences that we can!" The kid shouted. All of people present on the trial turned their attention to him.  
"Your…father…" The chief gasped.  
"Yes." The child nodded, "I am the son of the once great King Barailor! I have come here to represent my kingdom and to show that I DO care for the Lurkers. I am the one to hold the throne and thus, an important figure. I am constantly watched over by mentors, guards, and close friends, but I have risked my very valuable self so that I can help you Lurkers!"  
"YOU JEST!" Akai shouted.  
"I GIVE YOU MY WORD!" He shouted, "I give my life if I must!" Another silence took place. You normally don't hear a 7 year old talk of giving up his very life.  
"Precursians and Lurkers cannot get along!" Akai shouted to the child.

"WHAT ABOUT GOL AND MAIA?"

Jak was the one who shouted that. He was still standing up, his eyes filled with tears from anger and frustration. He wouldn't take this shit no more. The Lurkers all stared, gasping in shock. It's as if a deep secret has been unleashed. More silence fell before the chief spoke.  
"What about them?"  
"You all say that Lurkers and Precursians can never belong together, that it is a sin." Jak started, the  
Lurkers all nodding except Brutter and Rena, "Then explain Gol and Maia." The Lurkers all stared, with faces that screamed, "Who?" though it was blatantly obvious to Jak that their expressions were merely a disguise to hide the fact that they have known the ones named Gol and Maia.  
"Gol and Maia and the Lurkers all formed an alliance." Jak continued, "The Lurkers were their armies, doing their every bidding, in return, they would be given paradise, while Gol and Maia wanted them, the Lurkers, help them to carry out their plans to open the Dark silo and unleash Dark Eco so they can rule the world." Jak paused again, all the people in trial keeping their shocked appearance solely on Jak.  
"Their intentions were evil…I know." Jak came, "But they worked together…as a team. They would have benefited from each other. They worked together." Jak stopped, his face filled with guilt. Another wave of silence fell. Half of the Lurkers showed signs of guilt.  
"I think we did it." Rena whispered. The rest of the heroes gave a hopeful appearance. The chief spoke, though with guilt in his mouth.  
"How…How do you know of Gol and Maia?" The chief asked, breathless.  
"I know my history." Jak mumbled, not reviewing the truth that he was from the past where he bare witness to Gol and Maia's near destruction.  
"Still, that was over 300 years ago." The chief spoke, "It doesn't count."  
"OH, Gold and Maia teaming with the Lurkers doesn't matter, but the precursians doing shit to you people even FURTHER back DOES?" Jak screamed, "Talk about unfair and biased!" The chief felt a blood vessel pop in his head from frowning out of anger.  
"I still cannot say your word is fact!" The chief cried, "You could be betraying even Brutter for ALL I KNOW! I need MORE proof that you are on our sides and you DO NOT HAVE IT!"

"Yes, he does!" A random voice came in. The Lurkers and the heroes turned around and saw a Lurker coming their way.  
"KAMI!" Akai cried. Jak gasped. It was the Lurker he and Daxter freed months ago.  
"Yes." Kami nodded, "I was once slave to Precursians, but this precursian freed me!" He pointed to Jak. Everyone gasped.  
"So, that story of precursian saving you is NOT cock-and-bull?" came a random Lurker. Kami nodded.  
"Brother Jak freed Kami and for that, Kami owe Jak my life."  
"Is this true?" Akai gasped.  
"Yes." Jak nodded. Daxter, too nodded.  
"Why would Kami lie, knowing Kami be persecuted also?" Kami asked, "I speak truth." Silence fell; nothing more was said, nothing else could be added.  
"Anything else to add to this court?" The chief asked, Rena starring at him. More silence, "Fine, then the jury will decide."

The juries left the trial and went into a small hut where they discussed. Meanwhile, Jak went over to the child, his face hot with sweat from arguing. The child came over and gave him yet another hug.  
"Oh, Jak." The kid felt like crying again, but Jak ushered him not to.  
"I swear, if this doesn't get us free, I don't know what will!" Daxter cried out. Kami went over to Jak and the others.  
"Kami…" Jak wanted to thank him.  
"No need, Brother Jak. This is what I owe you. We even now." Kami smiled warmly, "Brutter, welcome back, my children miss you."  
"I miss them, too. "Brutter smiled, and then eyed Jak and the kid, "Brutter used to babysit Kami's kids." A resounding, "ohhhh_"_ let out. They reminded on the court where they awaited their fate. During that time, the child spoke of his passion of wanting to help the Lurkers.  
"I wish to continue where my fatherhad not finished." The kid spoke, "There is a lot I want to do that my fathernever had the chance to." The child's voice was soft and quiet now, indicating how much he missed his father. Once again, another wave of silence fell and the juries have returned.

"What's the verdict?" The chief asked. A male Lurker rose with a small piece of parchment.  
"We find traitors… (he looked at the parchment) guilty…"  
"WHAT!" came the sounds of the heroes.  
"…And not guilty." The Lurker finished. Everyone stared at him in shock.  
"…Well, both sides make convincing arguments."  
"….Perhaps we must use…the Judgment of Purity." The chief sighed, "Precursians normally are not allowed to enter, but this is a mixed feeling towards us Lurkers."  
"What's the judgment of Purity?" Jak asked.  
"It's a trial inside a cave to see if you truly are lying or not." Rena spoke, "But it's a dangerous trial. If you make it out alive, your heart is pure and all is forgiven, if not…well…it's been nice knowing ya." Jak groaned.  
"Brutter…precursian (he was pointing to Jak), enter thy cave and proof you are not lying to us, that you both speak pure of heart." The chief spoke, pointing to a large cave entrance where two Lurker warriors manage to push a giant stone blocking the entrance away.  
"Wait, wait, wait…we pass some judgment test and if we survive, we're innocent…and we didn't do that first WHY?" Daxter shouted.  
"You wanna be in court or face dangerous trials?" Rena asked, "The cave is only used when a judgment in trials cannot be made up."  
"Hoo…the trials." Brutter groaned.  
"You make sound like it's a bad thing." Jak chuckled nervously.  
"It bad." Brutter spoke, "I not know anyone who came back alive."  
"Why, thank you, Brutter, I feel SO comfortable now." Jak groaned through gritted teeth, "Come on, let's go." Then he went and asked for his weapons, "NO weapons, only yourself." Jak cursed under his breath.  
"Come on, let's get this over with." Jak urged Brutter who followed him nervously. Brutter had thoughts: Jak shouldn't take this trial for granted.  
"You have one hour." The chief spoke, "If you do not come in one hour, we assume you will have died."  
"What if we come out after an hour and we survive?" Jak asked.  
"You still die anyways." The chief spoke.  
"Thanks." Jak sarcastically said. The two entered the cave, the rest of the Lurkers and heroes starring reluctantly as they went inside. The child and Daxter both stared at Jak who grinned and gave them a wink and thumbs up. Then they went inside and the cave shut them in…  
**To Be Continued…**


	17. Jak's Test

**Jak II Chronicles  
PART II: The Precursor Stone  
Chapter 17: Jak's Test**

_Sometimes I worry about that boy. Everyday since Milo came into our lives; Jak has been busy making a boat for Milo to return home to. He had help from the local carpenter and the fisherman, though when they asked why Jak wanted to build a sturdy boat, he merely lied and said, "I wish to go on a grand adventure on this boat and see the outside worlds." In truth, it's not exactly a lie, this was a dream that Jak wanted to do. He had that ol' explorer blood. I would show him maps of where I've been to and what I discovered. Jak, as a child, would imagine he was in the deepest part of the ocean with nothing but his trusty compass and telescope. He would soar high in the sky with an aero type craft that made even Lurkers jealous, considering their usage of balloons. I would always tell him that he would explore the world someday, but then again, I always kept remembering that he would leave soon. My heart sank deeper._

Milo, meanwhile, was more then excited to be here. He wanted to leave our home and explore the town of Sandover, but Jak and I knew better then to let him out. We were lucky enough that Milo was satisfied with just us two acting all "precursian." Milo, in return would tell us of his Lurker culture, Jak hanging onto every little word like a child listening to his grandfather's old tales, however greatly exaggerated. The two were like brothers in a way and despite my panic for having a Lurker in the house (due to the villager's prejudice towards them), I felt happy for both of them. It felt like watching two sons.

_In the meantime, Jak still had the play to content with. With less then three weeks to find someone to play as the Lurker in time for the show, the poor child was getting desperate, asking every actor in school AND in the village to volunteer, but they had no intention of being a Lurker._

"_Face it; no one is going to be a Lurker." I sighed. Jak made that terribly sad face that always haunted me with guilt. It was during that time when we heard strange music coming from the den. Jak and I raced over and saw Milo playing with my record player. He constantly stopped the music from time to time with his fingers to observe it further.  
"This is an amazing piece of technology!" Milo gasped. I stared in shock! My records! Jak just smiled, slightly embarrassed. He stopped Milo from killing my records any further.  
"It's a record player, it plays music." Jak answered, "See, you put the needle on the music disk and the music comes from this giant horn."  
"Oh, I know, I heard about this." Milo nodded, "Gosh, I love the arts."  
"You do?" Jak asked, intrigued.  
"Yes." Milo nodded, "My father was quite the singer back in his time and my mother was an actress. People say I take after them." Jak stood frozen for a moment, as if the greatest miracle had happened. I knew what was to come.  
"Milo…can I ask you of something?" Jak asked in a casual, polite manner. Milo "hmmed?" Jak's smile grew wide.  
"…I need you to read my script." Jak mentioned, "I think I may have an idea for the people of Sandover to appreciate you Lurkers." Milo was now intrigued._

……………

_As weeks passed by, Milo secretly practiced his lines on the part of the Lurker in Jak's play. He was going to play that part, which worried me greatly. How would Jak sneak in a Lurker to the actual play with the entire Sandover population coming to our school? Jak was pretty confident that the Lurker would impress us precursians to at least like him. I was skeptical as usual. Sometimes, I wonder if Jak went too far, but he always ended with a "trust me", no matter how much I felt uncomfortable. I even raised my voice when I know I really shouldn't have, but Jak didn't yell back. It was always "trust me." Then…the play started…_

……………

**Cave of Judgment**  
**Month 14: **Bonia, Day 5 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Torches lit the halls of the judgment of purity cavern. While Brutter was nervous and shaking (his fur was practically standing up), Jak walked casually as if this cave was his own home.

"Brutter, relax, we'll be fine." Jak sighed.  
"The test! IT NOT EASY!" Brutter cried, "It make me sad I is in here! We is all dying here!"  
"We'll make it." Jak mumbled, tired of Brutter's whimpering noises.  
"Why you not scared?" Brutter gasped, "Even outsiders terrified of Judgment of Purity!"  
"Because I know we'll get out of this ruddy cave. I'm damn confident." Jak winked, giving a thumbs up, "Don't worry. I'm confident, not stupid. I'll be on my guard as well."  
"You frighten me." Brutter gulped.  
"Unfortunately, I have that effect on a lot of people." Jak groaned, "Come on, let's keep moving." Jak took one of Brutter's giant gorilla-sized arms and started to walk while Brutter reluctantly followed. The Lurker stared in every directions every once in a while. Jak continued to walk casually, yawning every once in a while. The path they were taking was long and straight and so far, no danger came upon them.

"How long as it been, I wonder?" Jak muttered, "This might have been a tad bit easier if Puar were here." Jak still held Brutter's arm who continued to hopelessly whimpered.  
"OH, CUT IT OUT, BRUTTER!" Jak shouted, "What the bloody hell is WRONG with you? Just because your chief and every other Lurker said the judgment of purity is all but hopeless to escape, you MAKE it look hopeless instead of trying!" Brutter stared at the floor, sinking in all the guilt, but it was short lived when the two heard a rumble.  
"I don't think that's normal." Jak gulped a little.  
"It not!" Brutter gasped, "Earthquake not common in this part of area!"  
"Oh, great, then what the hell is it?" Jak muttered.  
"Maybe giant animal?" Brutter gasped.  
"Brutter, the only giant animal I see is you." Jak sighed, then he eyed Brutter getting more paler by the moment, "…Just wait here, I'll check this out. The noise seems to be coming from that entrance over there…funny, I didn't notice it before."  
"OH! It dark in there!" Brutter cried. Jak noticed it too and took one of the torches which he had to carry with both hands for it was undoubtedly too big for him to carry. The torches were made for Lurkers. Jak slowly went in, the rumbling getting louder. From the sounds of it, it definitely seemed like a monster was making those sounds. Now Jak was feeling a slight hint of fear in his heart. Just then to make matters worse, something grabbed him by his shoulder, making Jak scream. He turned to see Brutter.

"DAMN IT, BRUTTER! GIVE ME A BLOODY HEART ATTACK, WHY DON'T YA?" Jak shouted, waving the torch around like crazy.  
"I is got scared, so I followed." Brutter mumbled, "You look scared, too!"  
"Rubbish! I'm NOT SCARED!" Jak denied, still waving the torch like some lunatic, "I was just…startled…is all…"  
"Why you act like this? All macho?" Brutter asked, "You no seem like it before." Jak stood silent for a moment and sighed.  
"I'm sorry, Brutter." Jak muttered, "But right now, it's because I'm pissed at your tribe. Their laws are stupid."  
"You think?" Brutter replied to Jak's obvious statement.  
"I swear if those Lurkers touch even ONE hair of the kid, I'll break their necks…no offense, Brutter." Jak cleared his throats.  
"What about friend Daxter?" Brutter asked.  
"Daxter I'm not worried about." Jak came in, "He's clever enough to get himself out of a situation…maybe."  
"You care greatly for kid." Brutter slightly smiled.  
"He trusted me when no one else at Haven City did…he believes in me." Jak spoke, "He trusted me enough to give me his half (he showed the pendent) and that's more then enough to at least feel motivated to help the child in his cause."  
"…How…noble!" Brutter sniffed back a tear, hugging Jak tightly and rocking him back and forth, "Kid should knight you!" Jak grinned, showing off his white teeth. Brutter, too smiled, showing off his. Despite his monstrous appearances, Brutter had nice, clean teeth. Of course, his smile turned to shock as he stared at something coming from behind Jak. He dropped Jak and pointed.  
"What?" Jak gasped. Brutter kept pointing. A giant monstrous face was coming their way, shown only by Jak's torch. Jak slowly turned around and they were face to face with a scaly beast.  
"Oh, Crap." Jak whimpered. And he and Brutter screamed like banshees as they ran for it. The monster roared and Jak felt something hot near him. A giant wave of fire was following him and Brutter. The monster could blow fires! Jak and Brutter made it out of the cave they entered and started running in the straight path they took, hoping it would lead to the exit.

"What is that thing!" Jak cried.  
"I NOT KNOW!" Brutter shouted, "I NOT SEEN IT BEFORE!" Jak turned around and saw the scaly monster coming their way; it's huge body as big as the cave itself, yet still having plenty of time to move.  
"BY MY PRECURSORS, IT'S A RUDDY DRAGON!" Jak shrieked, "We stumbled upon a DRAGON!"  
"A WHAT?" Brutter obviously never heard of one or he just couldn't hear well.  
"I thought dragons were extinct!" Jak shouted, "Where the bloody hell did you guys FIND one?"  
"I look like I know?" Brutter gasped. The two kept running while shouting whatever came into their heads, the dragon keeping up and dishing out its fiery breath every so often. By now, Jak and Brutter were covered in black from the fire. Jak could feel the soles of his shoes burning. It didn't help, the soles were metal.  
"What we do now?" Brutter asked.  
"I don't know!" Jak screamed, "This tunnel is ENDLESS! We gotta do something!" Jak and Brutter continued to run, not realizing the dead end they met with.  
"WHAT?" Jak cried when he saw it. The dead end was covered with skeleton remains of Lurkers who possibly died in here as well from the dragon. Scorched marks on the wall were pretty obvious signs.  
"WE DOOM!" Brutter was on his knees in angst. Jak cursed multiple times and noticed the Lurker skeletons had weapons, mainly swords. Jak gulped and picked up the nearest sword and swung it around, almost falling back into the ground due to its weight.  
"BROTHER JAK! YOU LOCO?" Brutter shouted, "You GET KILLED!"  
"I know." Jak spoke, rather eerily calmly, "I have no clue how to use this weapon…but I have got to try!"

As the dragon approach, Jak screamed like a warrior and ran towards the dragon. The dragon tried to snap its jaws into Jak as he got near, but Jak was too quick for it. He dodged the mouth and while its head was down, climbed up to it and stabbed one of it's eyes out. The dragon cried a horrible cry. Jak, still on the head, tried to aim for the other eye, but the dragon was violently tossing up and down, trying to get Jak down while it still maintained it's other eye. Jak now had to clutch onto the dragon for dear life. Desperate, the dragon started to breathe it's fiery breath in any random directions, causing Brutter to move away in random directions. Jak was a sitting duck as well. Moving on top of a raging dragon's head, yea sure…good idea. Jak was screaming, wondering what he should do next. Brutter mumbled something and then finally had a jolt of courage. There was Jak, risking his neck to save him and his friends and there was he, Brutter, standing, doing nothing. He's been running away from his problems for too long. Brutter nodded, took a spear from the Lurker skeletons, and then chucked it at the other dragon's eyes. Again, it howled with pain, finally knocking Jak down. Brutter pulled him away.

The dragon wasn't about to go away so easily. After howling from having lost both it's eyes, the dragon sniffed around until it was sure it spotted Jak and Brutter. Jak and Brutter gasped, Jak now letting go of the sword. The dragon was about to let loose it's breath of fire, but Jak gave another look of determination and walked over to the dragon again.

"BROTHER JAK!" Brutter shouted. Jak stood there with a face of anger, yet full of loyalty and honor.  
"No more!" Jak cried, "I'M GOING TO LIVE! MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO LIVE! WE'RE ALL GOING TO LIVE! THIS TIME I WILL DO IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!" And with that, Jak's act of courage transformed him into Dark Jak. This time, it didn't feel like anger and darkness crept up inside him.  
It didn't feel like revenge and chaos took over. He felt loyalty and courage, like a lion just leapt into his heart. Brutter gasped at the sight of Dark Jak who gave a growl of a monster.

"BRUTTER…MOVE!" Dark Jak ordered, his voice surprisingly the same as his normal counterpart. Brutter did so and moved away from the dragon as far as possible by going underneath it's legs and out of harm's way. Then Dark Jak leaped up from the air. Everything felt slow…very slow…like the essence of time itself was dissipating this very moment. Dark Jak then came crashing to the ground, a pulse of dark eco energy coming from his fist as it slammed into the ground. A wave of energy rushed towards the dragon, making it howl even worse then before. Brutter was far form the blast, but he saw clearly on what was happening to the dragon. In a matter of seconds, the dragon was killed and disappeared into dust. Everyone and everything was silent. Dark Jak stared at Brutter who came slowly towards him, then he stopped and stared at his hands, making a shocked expression. He let out a small whimper.

"…Bu..Bu…Bu...Brother Jak?" Brutter whimpered. Dark Jak starred at Brutter with his shocked expression and spoke, "…I beat him."  
"I see that." Brutter, eyeing the dragon's remains, spoke.  
"No…not the dragon." Dark Jak gasped, "…I beat…my dark self. He tried to lure me into his evil ways. He tried to make my heart black, blacker then it is…he tried to make me a horrible monster…but…but…when I became my dark self…I didn't feel hate or anger…or revenge…I felt…courage…friendship and…loyalty."  
"Brother Jak?" Brutter was obviously confused. Dark Jak, however, was laughing heavily.  
"I beat my darker self!" Dark Jak cried, "I DID IT! Or...or…I'm on the road to beating him! This is a GREAT SIGN!" He practically ran around, happy as a clam, which was sort of odd when you were a pale faced demon ready to eat off the flesh of someone else.  
"What?" Brutter cried out, "What you talking about? What you turn into?"  
"Oh, this…well…this is the result of 2 years of tortured experiment with dark eco, my friend." Jak was so happy to have actually controlled his darker half that he wasn't aware his speech was confusing the poor Lurker.  
"…..What?" Brutter repeated.  
"I wonder if I can change back on my own!" Jak gasped happily, ignoring Brutter. Jak closed his eyes calmly, once more ignoring the Lurker who kept shouting out his name. Brutter managed to shut his mouth when he saw Dark Jak become regular, normal Jak. Jak stared at Brutter, a brief silence fell between the two.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Brutter shouted. Jak cleared his throat and explained. After it took a while for the message to sink into Brutter's head, he spoke…  
"….I see." Brutter's answer came.  
"Sorry; I guess I forgot to tell you." Jak mentioned, "But hey, I managed to control it…this time."  
"This time?" Brutter gasped.  
"Precursor only knows when my darker half will take over again." Jak said, then he briefly grew silent again before he spoke, "Look, let's just go. We have to find an exit out of here."  
"But where to find exit?" Brutter asked.  
"Brutter, how strong are Lurkers?" Jak asked.  
"Oh, we Lurkers strong enough to crush rocks with bare claws!" Brutter spoke in a prideful manner. Jak grinned and starred at the dead end.  
"Can you smash this wall?" Jak asked.  
A brief second later and one wall down, the two ran down another long set of halls, this time until they reached another dead end, but the sides had five doors. The dead end had a plaque on which had written words. Jak and Brutter stared at each other and walked over to the plaque. Jak came closely and read it:

_To those who made it this far  
Beware, Beware, for danger is near  
Five doors await you, one leads the way out.  
These four doors were made by four great Nations  
Pictures grace the doors, A clue I shall give  
If chosen well, freedom waits, if chosen wrong, death awaits_

"I feel so much better." Jak spoke sarcastically, "Brutter, what are the pictures?" Brutter went over and eyed them.  
"They is of animals: Ottsel, Lurker, Crocadogs, Yakow, and Monkaw." Brutter spoke.  
"Animals." Jak repeated the word, then resume reading.

_Each four doors hold traps by four nations  
To Test man's will and intelligence  
Now comes the clues to figuring it out  
It is a creature of four legs, but it cannot swim  
It is giant in size, but posses no brute strength  
Fur graces it body, it can be dark or light  
Its body protects them, but it cannot swim  
What is this creature?_

"Okay." Jak muttered, "Let's see." He stared at the four animals and pondered. Brutter just stared at the young boy.  
"It's a creature with four legs." Jak pondered, "Well, A Crocadog and Yakow have four legs. Monkaws don't. Lurkers…well, I've seen you guys walk on both your hands and feet."  
"We mostly go with feet though." Brutter corrected.  
"Yea, Lurkers are most obvious in their method of travel, on foot, but Ottsels…I've seen them both walk two and four legged." Jak sighed, "So, it's either Crocadog, Yakow, or Ottsels." Jak eyed the next clue. It was giant in size…  
"A crocadog is not giant in size…well, until they grow up that is." Jak pondered again, "Then they're as big as a house…Lurkers and Yakows are already huge. Next clue."  
"Fur graces body…can be light or dark." Jak pondered some more, "Both Yakows and Lurkers can change fur colors…right?"  
"Oh, yes, we Lurkers usually get darker fur color when winter rolls." Brutter explained.  
"Crocadogs can't, so it's just down to Yakows and Lurkers." Jak confidently spoke, " Last clue…body protects them….well, I know Lurkers have strength and Yakows have huge horns on their head…cannot swim."  
"We Lurkers are very good swimmers and can hold breath underwater longer then you Precursians can." Brutter came.  
"Yes, I know." Jak nodded, "Then the answer has to be a Yakow!" Jak went to the Yakow door with Brutter whimpering.  
"What if it not Yakow?" Brutter asked.  
"Well, I'll be the guinea pig, then." Jak gulped, slightly nervous. He came closer to the door, slowly extending his arm to the doorknob. His fingers touched the cold doorknob and he slowly turned it around. Quickly opening the door, closing his eyes, Jak waited for any signs of pain. After a few seconds, Jak saw a normal cave area with no signs of danger.  
"I think we got it." Jak smiled. Brutter cried a burst of happiness and hugged Jak, nearly choking him. The two went through the door and there stood another plaque.

_Congrats to those who passed  
These animals of four were by four great nations  
Separated they are, in hopes of reuniting:  
Haven, Lucius, Filia, and Spargus  
They value thy four animals  
Haven's watery city and loyalty values the crocadog  
Lucius fiery walls and clever skills values the Ottsel  
Filia's crystal wood and wisdom values the Monkaw  
Spargus' power Earth and pride values the Lurker  
But beware of Riveta's metal…  
May they be reunited once more_

"What that mean?" Brutter asked.  
"It's not important." Jak shrugged, "Come on, let's go."  
"Ooh, look, Jak, arrows!" Brutter pointed. Indeed, there were arrows. Large red owns that were made of unknown material. It looked as though hung on an invisible board of some sort. Because of the huge cave having hundreds of tunnels, the arrows pointed the way out.  
"Come on, let's go." Jak urged and the two walked on once more, "How many more bloody trials do we have to go through to get the ruddy hell out of here?"

For a while, they walked, fear rushing through their head. Was their hour up? The two didn't speak much, not with thoughts occupying their heads. It was when they reached a rather elegant room that the two stopped.

"Where are we?" Brutter gasped.  
"I don't know…but it looks…familiar." Jak stared hard. The entire place looked like a palace. Fine furniture, silk cushions, a warm fireplace, and bookshelves. There was a table in the center of the quiet room where a card magically came before their eyes. The two stared at each other again. Jak took the card and read it:

_This is the room of memory. It has no shape of its own. At the moment, this room is of a memory in one of your heads. Pass this test and you shall end the trial and be free. Fail and be force to die._

A silence fell.

"…That's it?" Brutter asked.  
"Yea." Jak spoke silently, flipping the card over, "No other clues."  
"What test?" Brutter cried, "I not see anything but room!"  
"Maybe it's an item in this room." Jak spoke, looking around, "Maybe one triggers a doorway out or something."  
"You have pleasant memories." Brutter chuckled.  
"Huh?"  
"It not my memories. I not been in this place, I know. It must be your memory."  
"Brutter." Jak chuckled, "That's impossible. I've never been here, too. The only time I saw this was…in…my…dreams." Those last words Jak spoke slowly, now realizing this room was in dreams he had. He stood frozen.  
"…But it's only a dream." Jak gasped, "It's not real!" Jak was silent while Brutter looked worried.  
"It's not…real." Jak muttered under his breath, "I was never here! My home has always been in the country! In Sandover! I have never been to the city!"  
"Well, I know it not my memory!" Brutter spoke.  
"You were in Haven City, you met the King!" Jak cried out, "This could be a room to the palace!"  
"I not go to this room then." Brutter came, "I not remember it." Before Jak could speak any further, figures came into the room. Jak gasped. They were of Baron Praxis and another man he did not recognize. Erol was there as well, watching from afar. Jak quickly pulled Brutter away and they hid behind a large green chair where they eavesdropped.  
"What th-" Jak gasped. Praxis was speaking to the man.

"I'm telling you, siding with the Metal Heads can help us." Praxis shouted, "We can pretend we are their allies, then when they least expect it, turn against them!"  
"I cannot do that." The other man said. He had brown hair and a much shaggier beard then Praxis. You could easily see the old age on the man. Only his eyes showed youth. Beautiful blue eyes.  
"WHY?" Praxis shouted.  
"It is too much of a risk." The man spoke. Jak noticed this man had an elegant red crown with gold metal surrounding it, "Praxis…I know of what I am speaking of. I am the King."  
"It doesn't mean you can automatically make good decisions!" Praxis shouted.  
"If we do this, the consequences will be devastating. The Metal Heads will get us instead." The man spoke.  
"HOW DO YOU KNOW?" Praxis shouted.  
"I am a firstborn, my brother." The man spoke, "As King of Haven Kingdom, I was given the gift of visions and foresight. As a first born of the Romanir family, I have the epiphany and visions given to me by my Precursor ancestors. They help me in spirit and I have foreseen great danger when we people of Haven sided with the Metal heads. I am one with the Precursors…"  
"Brother." Jak gasped, Praxis only had one brother…the king…He was Baralior.  
"YOU!" Praxis shouted. He then stormed off. The king looked with great sorrow, and then eyed Erol.  
"…Erolior." Baralior spoke, "Why does he act so rashly?"  
"I wish you would not speak of him that way, sir." Erol cleared his throat.  
"But it's true. You and I both know it is." Baralior eyed the fire flickering in the fireplace, the orange glow giving the King an eerie, possessed look. Erol had his head down.  
"What kind of test is this?" Brutter asked. Jak stood silent, intrigued by the conversation.  
"Tell me…how loyal are you to Praxis?" The king asked, the fire showing a rather sinister look to him now.  
"What?" Erol asked.  
"Are you loyal to him or to me, the king?" He asked.  
"I am loyal to both!" Erol cried out, "…Why?"  
"Lately, his decisions have been jeopardizing the kingdom. I cannot have that, not during this time." The King sighed, "The Metal Heads are getting restless. They know of the visions I had. Visions of their untimely demise. When they will be defeated in a couple of years. I do not want Praxis to mess anything up…he will not change…even if he is my brother, even if I love him dearly, if things do not go the right way…he must be sent away…banished to the desert…maybe even be killed."  
"WHAT?" Erol cried out, "HE'S YOUR BROTHER!"  
"I know!" The king shouted, "But he must die for the sake of this kingdom. Being King means many sacrifices!"  
"I won't let you do this!" Erol cried again, tears coming down his face, "I won't."  
"You want Praxis to keep beating you?" Erol was silent, almost ashamed.  
"Yes, boy, I'm aware of him beating you constantly." The king sighed, "You cannot let this happen. Your body cannot take the abuse."  
"I lasted this long!" Erol shouted, "I can take it! My mother suffered a lot, but she was strong!"  
"But she's dead." The king spoke. He then took out a small dagger and placed it on the table.  
"What would you do?" The king asked.  
"What?" Erol could barely speak a word.  
"I wasn't talking to you." The king spoke, "I was talking to the one behind the chair." Jak gasped. He was spotted.  
"Come out…NOW!" The king shouted, "I must test you." Could this be the test? Jak slowly left the chair and numbly walked over to the king.  
"You." He was obviously pointing to Jak. Jak slowly walked until he reached the table where he stopped. The king stared across from him with his sharp, piercing gaze.  
"Tell me…what would you do?" The king asked Jak, "Kill him or spare him?" The king eyed the dagger.  
"Wu-What?" Jak lost his voice, "…Why are you letting me decide?"  
"Because I asked you to." Baralior spoke, "Now answer. This will be your test!"  
Jak could hardly utter a word. He was shocked. He eyed the dagger. Why? Why was this decision so hard to make? Jak wanted his revenge on Praxis and would gladly kill him if he had the chance, so…why was this decision so hard? The next words that left his mouth left him completely surprised.  
"…I will not kill him." Jak spoke, "I cannot. I will not spill blood. His decisions may not be wise, but he can change. Everyone can change."  
"What?" The King gasped.  
"Everybody…deserves a second chance." Jak smiled softly. His smiling was the same soft smile the child usually had.  
"WHAT?" The king cried.  
"That is my decision and mine alone." Jak spoke firmly. Then everything was completely boggled. The room twisted and turned and soon, it was the familiar cave setting. There was an exit.  
"…Did we…pass?" Brutter asked.  
"I…I don't know." Jak mumbled. The two slowly walked to the exit and once out they saw a familiar place: The hidden Lurker village.

"BRUTTER!" Brutter turned and saw Rena hugging him, "You're here! You survived! I was so worried!" The child and Daxter ran to Jak. Ani following close behind with Puar. Kami watched for afar with a smile. The child hugged Jak deeply, happy to see him alive.  
"Thank goodness you are well." The kid spoke, "I was beginning to worry."  
"Oh, just beginning?" Jak asked.  
"The kid had WAY too much confidence in you," Daxter joked, "Always "Jak will get out" "I have faith in Jak." "Jak, Jak, Jak." Daxter grinned, speaking in a half joking manner.  
"AHEM!" Akai, "Are you aware that you lost!"  
"But we passed the test! We came out alive!" Jak cried.  
"Yes, but hour was up by the time you guys came out!" Akai shouted, "You lost! Face it! Now, you die!"  
"NO!" Rena cried. Kami started to argue, the other Lurkers holding him back. Rena refused to let Brutter go. The child clutched tightly to Jak, Daxter doing the same. Puar and Ani just stood close by, the small crocadog baring it's teeth.  
"Oh, face it like Lurker!" Akai cried.  
"I'm not a Lurker." Jak corrected. The spears from the warriors closed in one them and they would have died…if not for the voice of Krimzon Guards.

"FREEZE!" came the leader, "By order of Baron Praxis, ALL Lurkers are hereby under slave labor! Surrender or die!"  
"Oh, so NOW it's surrender or die!" Daxter cried out, "I feel sooo LOVED" His sarcasm rang loud and clear.  
"WHAT TH-" Akai cried, "How you find hidden Lurker village?"  
"We followed those idiots." The leader KG stared at Jak, "Honestly, that was the worse sneaking I've ever seen in my life!"  
"WHAT?" Jak gasped.  
"I KNEW you'd be trouble!" Akai shouted, "You risk ALL Lurker species! OHHH! Lurker warriors! FIGHT!" And the warriors did indeed. More KG soldiers came and a battle began. Woman and children Lurkers were running for their lives, only to be captured by the Krimzon Guards. With all the chaos happening, the heroes were sitting ducks.  
"What do we do?" Rena shouted, "Our spears cannot hold out against those armors and guns for so long! I cannot fight them for too long."  
"Well, we don't have a choice!" Jak cried, then he searched around, "Where's my gun?"  
"I don't know." Rena came, "I don't know where father put it."  
"Great!" Jak growled in frustration, and then he eyed some of the spears. Jak ran over and picked one up, "I'm going to keep fighting!"  
"JAK!" Rena shouted, "You won't last long! That's a spear! They have GUNS! LOTS OF GUNS!"  
"She makes a good point, Jak." The kid spoke, "If only there was a bigger creature."  
"That's it!" Brutter came, "Nuka Nuka help our fight!"  
"Brutter, are you crazy? Rena gasped, "We've never sent Nuka Nuka free before! The guy eats ANYTHING, including us!"  
"Yea, but I think Brutter makes a good idea." Jak came in, "If this creature is any indication that it's super huge, it may help us in our fight. You guys go, I'll stand and fight."  
"Jak!" The kid gasped.  
"Jak, are you crazy!" Daxter came as well. Jak grinned and wink, "Hey, I've been through worse. I'll be fine. Now get your asses moving and go!" Rena and Brutter pulled Daxter and the child away. Jak made a "warrior" face, yelled loudly, and raised his spear, only to have a gun shot down the spear part of it, making it a long wooden stick.  
"Oh, fantastic." Jak mumbled.

While Jak tried to figure out a solution to his problem, the rest of the heroes head for Nuka Nuka. Brutter and Rena lead the group, each step more reluctant then the last.  
"He should be nearby." Rena spoke, a quiver of fear in her voice. They ran further and halted minutes later. Daxter bumped into Rena's left leg, not able to stop in time.  
"HEY! What's the big idea?" Daxter shouted.  
"We're here." Rena spoke.  
"HUH?" Daxter eyed his surrounding. All he saw was a giant canyon hole, "…There's nothing but a HUGE gap!"  
"Nuka is down below." Brutter spoke, then the heroes crutched down and lo and behold, there was Nuka Nuka, sitting, apparently starring at rocks.  
"WHOA!" Daxter gasped, face now pale. The creature known as Nuka Nuka was a giant, literally. He was about as tall as the buildings of Haven City. He was a hulking creature, an obese Lurker-ish creature.  
"Is that a Lurker?" Daxter pointed down. Rena and Brutter nodded.  
"Come on, we have to open the gate to sent him loose!" Rena pointed out. She went over to the crank located on the way top (where they were standing). Below them was the giant, wooden gate that would set Nuka Nuka free.  
"The gate is WOOD?" Daxter screamed, "He could just pound his way out!"  
"He usually doesn't move because we feed him." Rena spoke, "So he's satisfied and doesn't really need to move."  
"That explain big weight." Brutter added.  
"How the hell did he get so big?" Daxter gasped.  
"We feed him." Rena answered as she pulled the gate open, "He just kept eating and eating. We assume that's how he got big." Daxter scratched his head, refusing to believe such a tall tale. As the gate opened, Nuka Nuka grew aware that he was being "free" so to speak. He slowly stood up, made a yawn (which echoed throughout), and started to walk.  
"Alright, he's going!" Rena gasped.  
"PHEW!" Daxter waved his hand around his nose, "He SMELLS!"  
"Well, so would you if you sat on your butt all day and did nothing but sleep and eat." Rena scoffed.

Nuka Nuka walked a small path and was just below the battle scene where the Krimzon Guards, the Lurker warriors, citizens, and Jak all heard the thunderous steps.  
"What the hell?" came one of the guard.  
"Nuka Nuka is free!" Kami shouted, "He is free!" More sounds came and the crowd all gathered around to see he was climbing up.  
"Wow…good climber for a big guy." Jak muttered. And he managed to reach the top in record time. There, Nuka Nuka roared terribly and started to consume Krimzon Guards. Everybody ran in a panic once more, while the Krimzon Guards started to shoot the creature. Nuka Nuka wasn't wearing much protection and was thus getting hurt easily. He growled in pain, his foot stepping backwards.  
"Keep shooting!" came the leader of the guard, now with a wounded arm, "We'll make him fall over the edge!" The warriors took note of their plan and tried their might to hold back while Nuka feasted. Jak came over to help the Lurker warrior. He wasn't aware that he was next to Akai.  
"Why you help us!" Akai shouted.  
"I want to help the Lurkers, how many times do have to repeat that?" Jak shouted, using his long wooden stick as a sort of rod. He wasn't doing a good job. Jak tried to whack the guards on their head, but their headgear was very protective. He whacked one too hard that his wooden stick was now as small as a sword as it split in half.  
"Damn it!" Jak grumbled. The chaos continued, even when Brutter, Daxter, Ani, Puar, the child, and Rena returned to help fight, though the child was told to stay back with the citizens who had ran to safety, which mainly consisted of them hiding behind rocks, hoping no one would drag them or knock them out.

The battled lasted in its utter confusion with Nuka Nuka finally down for the count. He didn't fall down the canyon, but he fell regardless, every part of his body bleeding from the gunshots. The Krimzon Guards cheered and went towards taking out the remaining warriors which were very few in numbers now. The chief had all about lost hope and muttered under his breath, his head low. He fought, but with little effort.

"We got him on the run now!" came a Krimzon Guard. The child was devastated. These Krimzon Guards were obeying the orders of a madman. These guards showed no signs of mercy or forgiveness. A bad sign of Lurker/Precursian friendship. These guards, most importantly, were truly his soldiers. As prince of Haven Kingdom, he could not allow this to happen.  
"STOP!" The child cried. He was not heard. The child started to cry as he shouted, "PLEASE STOP! I ORDER YOU TO STOP!" He ran away from his hiding place while his friends protested him to go back.  
"You'll be killed!" Rena shouted to him. The child ignored it and cried for them to stop, even grabbing onto one of the guards who knocked him away.  
"Stupid child!" The KG was about to hit the child's head with the back of his gun, but Jak came in full force and whacked his arm, in which he dropped his gun.  
"Hurt him and you'll sorely regret it!" Jak spoke angrily. A surge of energy rushed into Jak. He wasn't sure what he had inside, all he knew was that he had the urge to fight. Before he could think of his own will, Jak took his sword length stick…and let it all out.

Everyone of his close friends watched in amazement. Here he was, Jak, a boy whom had never had any trainings with a sword, started to handle that stick like he knew how to use it. He used it like a sword. He whipped the guards off their feet, knocked them unconscious without breaking the wooden stick. The swishes could be heard, the wind rushing in the guards' faces. Jak did not speak a word; his eyes were focused and dazed. It was as if an expert swordsman was possessing him. In mere minutes, the guards fell down, some ran away in fear, and Jak shook his head and searched his surroundings.

"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Daxter ran in all fours to Jak, "You never told me you could fight with a sword…well, wooden sword."  
"I can't." Jak spoke.  
"What?" Daxter stepped back. More interruptions came when more guards arrived.  
"Surrender or die!" came the order of the guards and they started to charge towards the remaining Lurkers.  
"Oh, great, more?" Daxter hissed.  
"Our warriors, few in numbers, we become slaves now for we no have protections anymore." Akai spoke, then he got on his knees, "I have failed my people and village. I deserve slavery."  
"Get up!" Brutter shouted, which surprised everyone, "You no shame village, you fought bravely, protect village! People proud of you! I proud of you! You no be brave, that means betrayal of Lurker kind! We die as warriors, always!"  
"Brutter…" Akai started to speak.  
"Brother Jak give me confidence, told me not to run. I not run no more! I stand and fight!" Brutter cried, "This place home to Brutter, this people Brutter's friend and family! I protect it with life! Is Code of Lurker Warriors!"  
"Now that's what I'm talking about, Brutter!" Jak shouted with a grin on his face.  
"Can we really take on ALL of them?" Rena gasped. The KG outnumbered them in great numbers.  
"Looks like they got the entire squad from the dig!" Jak gasped, "Maybe I can try and be Dark Jak again!" He tried, but wasn't able to, "Damn, I lost it!"  
"Get ready!" Rena shouted, now brandishing a spear she found. Akai and Brutter both got into their battle position. Jak did as well as Ani and Puar. Daxter, reluctantly stood close by to Jak. The child watched from afar, horrified. He knew they wouldn't last long with the guards. He had to do something. The battle began again and thus, another fight started. The warrior were falling in seconds. Hope was fading.

"KEEP FIGHTING!" was all Brutter could say, but can he speak when a lone shot could reach his chest? The kid watched the scene. He did not want a battle. He hated to see people die, people that are close to him. With a wave of anger and sadness in his heart, the child shouted once more, this time, loud enough for everyone to hear, "ENOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!" Then his pendent glowed. His voice echoed throughout the cave and everyone stopped. The child was covered in white light, his face serene and calm. His hand surrounding the pendent. Next thing Jak knew, his half started to glow too The two white lights enveloped the entire field and everything was bright.

It felt as time froze as Jak felt this white light would never leave. He shielded his eyes from the pure light. It then grew dimmer and dimmer…until the entire volcanic cave was back to normal again. The heroes and surviving Lurkers looked around and was amazed to find…all the Krimzon Guards were gone. They all disappeared. Jak eyed his pendent, now glowing dimmer until it returned to normal. He then eyed the child who's pendent also returned to normal. The child, starring at Jak for a while fainted afterwards.  
"KID!"

……………………

A few days passed since that incident. The surviving Lurkers all had finished packing their goods or anything they could find, their entire village was wreaked. The chief came over to Jak and the others who were told to wait by Akai. They obeyed this time for Akai spoke in a friendly manner. The chief came to them with Akai and Rena on each of his side. He first eyed Brutter.

"Brutter…you proved bravely and loyalty to Lurker village…I give you…your feathers back." And with that, the chief gave the two familiar blue feathers Brutter wore before they were blown off. Brutter squealed and gently placed them on his head.  
"You truly Lurker warrior." The chief smiled warmly, "You no longer banished."  
"Thank you, chief!" Brutter smiled, "I is so happy."  
"You and me both." Rena giggled.  
"…Brutter." Akai walked to Brutter, embarrassed as he placed a hand on the back of his head, "…Akai is sorry…for betraying friendship…friends stick to end." He extended his hand, "We friends?" Brutter stood silent for a while and smiled, now with tears in his eyes.  
"We…BESTEST friends!" Brutter shook Akai's hands, and then proceeded to give him a massive hug. The heroes cheered and clapped.  
"Oh!" Akai pointed out, eyeing Jak, "For you." Akai gave Jak a familiar item.  
"My gun!" Jak took it, "Thanks! Where were they? I tried looking for them!"  
"Lurker secret." The chief smiled, "Any who, we Lurkers must now migrate to another location now that our village has been spotted, but it is a risk we are willing to take." The chief then eyed Jak and the kid who was just in front of him, once again having Jak's hands on his tiny shoulders. The chief lowered down to the child's level.  
"Your majesty…perhaps it is time for us Lurkers and Precursians to reconsider our differences." The chief spoke. The child smiled.  
"I would like that very much." The child nodded, "Rest assured, once I reclaim my throne, we shall make a pact, a law that both Precursians and Lurkers are equal."  
"No more slavery?" Akai came in.  
"That will be the first thing to go, Mr. Akai." The kid smiled that warm smile, "I promise you." Akai nodded. The chief then got up and eyed Jak.  
"You are truly a brother to us Lurkers, Jak." The chief spoke, "You have shown us Precursians are not creatures of evil…you risked your life to fight against your own to protect us…I thank you. You are welcome anytime in our soon to be new home."  
"Thank you." Jak spoke politely.  
"We'll give note when we reach our new home, Brutter." Rena spoke, "It'll be better then ever and you have to visit!"  
"Brutter promise!" He nodded.  
"Such a shame you couldn't come with us." Rena sighed.  
"Lurkers in Haven City needs help, I provide." Brutter spoke, "I still must do my duty." Rena nodded.  
"Well, I guess we go our separate ways now." Puar spoke, "Puar will miss you all."  
"Same here." Akai concurred.  
"Until next time." The chief waved.

Jak nodded and bowed as well as the others before the chief and started to walk back.

"WAIT! WAIT!" The heroes stopped and saw Kami running to them.  
"Kami?" Jak saw the middle age Lurker running with a small sack.  
"I must give you something." Kami came, and then he gave the sack to Jak, "Brutter told me of why you came here in first place. I talk with chief and he agreed…this yours now…treasure it well."  
"Aww, come on, you don't have to-" Jak wasn't aware of what was in it. Kami cut him off.  
"Trust Kami, you WILL need it." Kami held Jak's hand, "Best of luck." Then Kami ran to his family.  
The heroes once again waved good bye and journeyed home.  
As they walked down, Jak opened the sack and saw something glowing.

"What is it?" Daxter asked. Jak gasped.  
"It's the item that Onin and Pecker set us to fetch!" Jak gasped, "All three pieces! We got it!"  
"WAHOO!" Daxter shouted, "Alright!"  
"Wonderful!" The child sparked.  
"YAY!" Puar chirped. Ani barked.  
"Oh, this truly happy days!" Brutter boomed.  
"….Yea." Jak stared up, his face filled with worried looks.  
"Jak…what is wrong?" The child asked.  
"…When I took the test in that cave…I apparently had a memory…something I never saw in my life…I saw Praxis, Erol, and…the King." Jak spoke the last two words softly.  
"You saw father?" The kid gasped.  
"Yes…he was asking me…he was testing me…testing to see if I should kill Praxis or not." Jak spoke, "There was a dagger on that table…and for some reason, I told him I didn't wanted to kill him. But I don't feel that way…for now." The child made a small yelp.  
"What?" Jak asked.  
"Jak, that is MY memory!" The kid spoke. Everyone stopped and cried, "WHAT?"  
"It is true…when I was merely five, I was reading a book, and then I heard my Uncle and father enter the room. I hid, knowing it might be a secret meeting they were having. Erol was there, too. My father found me hiding under the chair and ordered me out. My fathertested my ability as prince…would I have killed Uncle Praxis or not…I chose not to, because he can change, everyone-  
"-Deserves a second chance." Jak finished.  
"…Yes." The child whispered.  
"Ow, my head hurts." Jak groaned, "What is this all about?"  
"…I do not know…" The child sounded as though he was now hiding something, "…Let us just go home…I miss my cousin Ashelin and the others."  
"Yea." Jak nodded slowly, his mind still thinking of that test.

……………

As the heroes walked away, the chief, Rena, and Akai talked.  
"Did you notice something about that Jak?" The chief asked his children. They both eyed him questionably, "He was the only one who has ever survived the Judgment of Purity."  
"You're right," Rena gasped, "No one else has…why?"  
"I'll tell you a little secret, my children." The chief spoke, "The judgment cave was made by the rulers of four great nations nearly hundreds of years back. They made it so only the Chosen One can pass it."  
"Th-The chosen one?" Akai gasped, "Is Jak chosen one! Chosen One of what?"  
"A big part he will play in this planet…this galaxy." The chief spoke, "Now is not the time, of course. First, he has the Metal Heads to deal with…after that…he will start to realize who he truly is."  
"Who is he, father?" Rena asked.  
"If the prophecy is correct, he will be…the savior…no other mortals has ever channeled the power of eco so comfortably such as that boy." The chief continued, "Did you not see the way he used that wooden stick?"  
"Yes." Rena and Akai both spoke.  
"Mar was an exceptionally good swordsmen…I have seen his skills from my visions…it was as if the blood of Mar was flowing in the veins of that young Jak."  
"…What?" Akai gasped.  
"…There is more to Jak then he realizes. No one should underestimate him. Jak will bring great things to Haven Kingdom." The chief smiled, "That is, if he chooses that fate…" His children eyed him like he was mad while the chief remained cool.  
"Come, let us go." And they migrated. Nuka Nuka, now healed (but with like a thousand little bandages), traveled down below the Lurkers on a trail big enough for him to walk through.  
**To Be Continued…**


	18. Purity Day

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part II: The Precursor Stone  
Chapter 18: Purity Day**

_It was time for the play. Posters were all over the village. People chatted about this for days. It amazed me sometimes that a school play can eagerly excite even the oldest residence of Sandover, but then again, it's the only time a play is produce. Our village is small. Night has come when the entire village has come for it. I went backstage with Samos to see how Jak was handling this._

_"Okay, guys, move the set there…no there! GUYS!" I could hear Jak order, one arm waving frantically, the other holding a clipboard of the script.  
"Hello, Jak." I waved.  
"Oh, Uncle, it's hectic over here!" Jak gasped, "But I think it'll be all under control." I looked around to see teenagers in costumes remembering their lines and backstage kids with ladders, lights, and stage sets, running in all directions, panicking yelling, the rest just aimlessly stands there.  
"Okay, so it's not THAT under control, but we're getting there." Jak smiled weakly.  
"How is the… err…."big" situation?" I asked, whispering low enough.  
"Oh, he's over there talking with some of the people." Jak pointed.  
"WHAT?" I gasped. Samos curiously starred in the same direction as I was. There he was, Milo the Lurker who was chatting with some of the actors while in his costume.  
"They think Milo is just some guy in a costume." Jak smiled.  
"Man, I can't believe how convincing the outfit is!" came Toni, who would play Rip, the harsh former guard of the royal family.  
"Yea, even if Lurkers are stupid, smelly, pushy creatures with no intelligence." came Jerry Mac, who plays Kuno, the main character's mentor. Milo cringed a little, but his love for Precursians kept him from wanting to flick the boy away with his finger.  
"This costume doesn't fit, what's the deal?" Daxter cried, "It's SO baggy and loose!"  
"Of course it is!" Jak cried, "You're the bumbling sidekick, it's suppose to be loose and baggy."  
"Oh." Daxter sighed, "Geez, I'm not going to be able to move in this stupid outfit."  
"All the lightning is in place, we're ready!" Kiera winked. She was the head technician, a fitting role.  
"No, we're not!" came a woman's voice. Jak and the others saw a couple heading their way.  
"Mr. and Mrs. Manaslay!" Jak gasped, they were Kil's parents.  
"Oh, Jak, I'm sorry, but your play is ruined." came Mrs. Manaslay, her voice a wave of drama and high pitched squeal. It was as if she was trying to hold back all the tears she has mustered over the years.  
"Wu-What do you mean?" Jak panicked.  
"Our little Killy is sick!" She cried, "…Again! He broke out with a high fever. Oooh, I told him not to play outside so much!"  
"WHAT?" came the collective voice of everyone but Samos and I.  
"Well…we have replacements…don't we?" Jak asked.  
"Zera wouldn't allow replacements." came Petri, one of the actresses who played tough solider Bea.  
"WHAT? WHY?" Jak shouted.  
"She preferred to keep it as original as possible." Petri continued.  
"NO!" Jak shouted, "We need replacements! Where's Zera?"  
"Did someone call?" Zera asked, in her outfit. She was Nadia, the poor slum girl whom the main character would fall for.  
"Did you order that no plays would have replacements incase the original wasn't available?" Jak cried, he was easily frustrated. I could understand. He worked so hard to make this play a reality and in the end, it toppled like rows of dominoes.  
"Yes, of course. We must always have the same actors. A replacement could jeopardize everything!" Zera announced, 'Why, that person could be a bad actor for all we know! The play is to be perfect, 100!"  
"ZERA, Kil IS sick and CAN'T play as Christof now!" Jak shouted. Zera was silent.  
"I never thought of that…I naturally assumed everyone would be here." Zera shrugged. Jak groaned, placing a hand on his face.  
"ZERA!" Jak cried out, "Kil is not here, he's sick, there IS no one to play as Christof!"  
"Well then, FIND someone to play as Christof! I don't want MY play to be ruined!"  
"YOUR play?" Kiera came in, "Funny, last I checked, Jak wrote the script, cast the role, directed the play, emphasized the visual, while you just acted."  
"You shut up, you tramp!" Zera cried, "who ask your opinion!"  
"HEY! That's my daughter!" Samos cried out, "You watch who you call tramp!"  
Kiera was silent. All the times she refused to call Samos her father and he was defending her.  
"FIND someone!" And Zera left in anger. Jak sighed, his head now staring at the floor. We could hear sniffs.  
"Jak…are you crying?" Milo came.  
"No." Jak wiped his eyes, still looking down. Milo came over and placed his massive hands on Jak's shoulder.  
"Kid, don't be like that." Milo smiled, "You'll find someone. I know you will. You've got the makings of greatness in you." Jak was now eye to eye to Milo (Milo had to crouch a little to be truly eye to eye with Jak). Jak's face was now bright red, his eyes filled with water, his usual smile now upside down.  
"And this all started because I just wanted my notebook back." Jak mumbled, trying hard to speak without bursting into tears again.  
"There, there." Milo smiled again, "You were given the chance to explore your skills as a writer and you succeeded. Your dreams are becoming reality. You can't possibly throw that away." The teenagers behind him muttered in agreement.  
"It's time to show the world of your talents." Milo continued, "Now think…who knows the entire lines to the main character: Prince Christof?" Jak sniffed and thought for a moment.  
"….No one." Jak muttered.  
"Are you sure about that?" Milo asked, starring hard at Jak and only Jak. I suddenly knew what Milo was trying to do.  
"….Yea, I am…." Jak spoke, "…The only other person who knows besides Kil is me because I wrote the script." Jak stopped wearing his sorrow expression and starred at Milo who smiled with that, "You got it" look.  
"….Me? No, no, I can't." Jak shook his head. The teenagers protested, urging him to take over._

"Come on, if your acting is as good as your writing…"  
"I'm curious to hear you sing…"  
"Go for it, Jak!"

_"But…but..." Jak started to protest, "What if I'm no good?"  
"How do you unless you try?" Milo asked, "Sometimes you gotta take a risk." Jak was silent.  
"Come on, the show must go on." Milo waved his arm in a dramatic fashion, "The stage awaits, my dear Jak." Jak starred at the crew and casts, then he stared behind to where I was as well as Samos.  
"I'd expect no less then the miracle child." I spoke. Jak smiled backing a shy manner and nodded.  
"Okay!" Jak smiled, "I'll do it!" A cheer arose. Indeed, the show must go on…_

…………………

**Haven City**  
**Month 14: **Bonia, Day 6 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

The return home to Haven City wasn't exactly royalty. After all, they had to come in secret. The heroes first stop was to take Brutter back home. Surprisingly, his little home and workshop remain intact while he was away. After a small good-bye and promises to visit again, the reminder of the heroes gave the Seal of Mar to Onin and Pecker. When Jak asked if there was any news on the other items he got for them, Pecker said it wasn't of his importance just yet and told him to shoosh. "Shoosh" did Jak did, a bit frustrated. They then returned to the Underground Headquarter where Kor was more then worried and upset that the child left for so long.

"You never told him you were coming with me?" Jak gasped.  
"It took a long time to convince Torn, Kor would have been even more difficult." The kid spoke, "Besides, he had a meeting during the time I left." Jak groaned, knowing that the child strategically left during Kor's meeting.  
"That was an immature move on your part, your majesty!" Kor cried through his gravely voice, "You could have been killed!"  
"But I was trying to help tie the bonds of Lurkers and us Precursians." The child spoke in a calm manner while stressing his point.  
"At this time, your opinions don't matter to this kingdom. The Baron is the representative at the moment." Kor slammed his walking stick down several times.  
"I am the rightful prince, Sir Kor and even still, my word is law!" The argument went on, no one giving in. Next thing he knew, the child was reciting all the events that have happen in the Hidden Lurker village with Jak and Daxter interrupting in. In the end, it sort of ended in a tie and the two headed off to Vin's Power Station, leaving Jak with Samos and Torn. After Jak watched the child leave, he faced the two Underground leaders and smiled sheepishly.  
"Hey, you were the one who said I could take the child out." Jak pointed to Torn.  
"I wasn't aware he'd go someplace as far as the Volcanic Crater." Torn growled, "He just told me he had to go someplace in Haven City…I should have realize my suspicion when he wanted to go with you."  
"What's my punishment?" Jak rolled his eyes, better to get this over with.  
"Well, since you had a pretty rough time in the Dig, I'll pity you and give you some chores." Torn grinned. _"Some chores"_ turned out to be cleaning the floors of every Underground room with a toothbrush, doing the dishes (and it was big load), repainting some of the walls where the paint cracks were falling, among others. It took a grand total of three days, but he was finished. Now the next thing he had to worried would come in a matter of weeks…

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 15: **Precurso, Day 1 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING! THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING!" Puar shouted. Once again, Daxter ran around like a headless chicken upon Puar's announcement while Jak slowly woke up.  
"The what is coming?" Jak asked, rubbing one of his eyes from sleepiness.  
"THE HOLIDAYS! OH, JOY!" Then Puar flew off to the dining room. Jak groaned, got up, dressed, and headed over to the dining room where the other members of the Underground were, already eating. Jak noticed the food felt…more. Double the amount of sausages, the bacons, the eggs, and not to mention healthy amounts of beer, orange juices, milk, and wines on the table. Jak's diet consisted of anything without a face, but the head chef didn't waste any time forgetting Jak by giving him some nice oatmeal and toast, among other non-meaty products, how very pleasing. After everyone has had their fill, Torn came and tapped on a glass he was holding onto. Everyone was silent. Torn cleared his throat.

"As you know, the holidays are coming. With Purity Day coming in two weeks, it's time for the Underground to be on halt so we can all take the time to celebrate this…uhh…joyous occasion. This is the time to see your family and friends you haven't had contact in, get presents and what not." Torn stared at each member, then he eyed Jak, "And I hope you all know to keep a constant eye out for any Krimzon Guards and not to do anything risky." Everyone murmured.  
"With that said, have a happy two weeks vacation and have a happy Purity Day." The members clapped and cheered and Torn left.  
"Ahh, a vacation." Jak scratched the back of his head. Everybody of the members left, leaving Tess to handle the dishes. Daxter was more then happy to help.  
"Insensitive clods." Daxter growled at the other members besides Jak who was near him, "Not helping a lovely, beautiful, purdy, and dare I say, sexy…gal like yourself?" Daxter grinned his wide grin and Tess giggled.  
"Oh, you're too much!" Tess smiled, going on and off to the kitchen with dishes. Daxter and Jak helped.  
"I've never seen the underground members so happy…except when they're drunk." Jak shrugged.  
"Well, the holidays bring out the best in everyone, I suppose." Tess sighed, "After all, with two weeks off vacation and everyone, and I mean everyone obsessing over the holidays, the Krimzon Guards are more into protecting supermarkets and toy stores then going after Underground members, so that's more freedom for us. It's a hectic time."  
"It's not as hectic over in the country." Jak forced a small smile.  
"This is also time for the underground members to see their families and close friends." Tess continued to take in more dishes to the kitchen.  
"You mean they never saw their parents of their kids or cousins or whatever?" Jak shrugged, "I mean, we are given free times and all and-"  
"Nah, too risky." Tess spoke, "Sure, they can go out in disguise like you do, but they don't want to risk their family and friends in their lives as underground members. Most of these members haven't seen their families in years. Sometimes, their family outright rejected them for joining the underground. Purity Day is a nice day to ask for forgiveness."  
"I see." Jak held the dishes tightly, softly muttering his reply.  
"Depressing." Daxter nodded, "I can see why this holiday is called Purity Day…it's all...pure and crap."

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 15: **Precurso, Day 4 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Days passed and the child returned back to the underground member HQ with Kor. The child, too was filled with the spirit of Purity Day itself. The entire city was being decorated with wreaths, Purity day trees, ornaments, and the likes. You couldn't go anywhere without someone singing or spreading Purity Day cheers. Nearly everyone at the Underground were singing, drinking beer and wine, and general being happy for the first time in their lives in a long time, some more so then others. Majority of the people in the Underground were going to leave for the holidays, including Tess. Being Daxter, he couldn't bare the thought of Tess moving so far away, so he went about to do some convincing. While the little ottsel was away, a familiar figure entered.

"Ashelin." Jak gasped, "And what are you doing here?"  
"Well, I need to ask you an important question." Ashelin sat down on the edge of Jak's bed, next to him, "I don't know if you know this, but Purity Day is the kid's birthday."  
"Yea, I know." Jak nodded.  
"Good, because the remainder of the Underground members, Torn, Samos, and I will be hosting a party to celebrate his 8th birthday. We were wondering if you'd like to be involved."  
"How so?" Jak asked.  
"We need to keep the child distracted while we plan the party, it's a surprise." Ashelin answered, "And since you're good with the kid, I was wondering it you'd take him out while we plan the surprise party. It won't be for another week and a half, so take the time to think about-"  
"I'll do it." Jak sighed, grinning, "Don't worry about it. Now, if you excuse me, I got some Purity Day shopping to do. Daxter! Come on, let's go!"  
"Wait, I'm not done talking to Tess yet!" Daxter cried.  
"For ruddy sakes, she won't leave for another two days, you'll have plenty time to convince her to not go or whatever you're trying to do." Jak muttered. Daxter growled a little and ran up to Jak' shoulder.

………………………

For the most part, the Purity Day shopping went along great. With the holiday rush and people buying presents in and out, the Krimzon Guards were more busying breaking riots from two people clinging onto a present then Jak or any of the Underground members. Jak had plenty of money that he saved since he first joined the Underground, so shopping wasn't a problem. The problem was deciding what present to give to which. Because he was near the Shopping Mall, Jak wandered pass Mar's Memorial Stadium where he constantly stared at it. Snow slowly started to cover the already snowy ground.

"If you wanna race, then race!" Daxter cried, "It's not a sin. We're supposed to be on a team a long time ago. Krew keeps talking about it occasionally."  
"No…it's just…I don't know…this may sound weird…but that girl we met in the garage months ago…" Jak muttered, both his hands occupied with shopping bags.  
"Yea...the girl…what, you like her? Have a crush on her? She's got a good voice, but how can you have a crush on her when you can't even see her? You've never seen her before. What? Jak? What?" Daxter moved around Jak.  
"NO!" Jak shouted, annoyed at Daxter's antics, "It's just that…now that I'm here, I keep thinking about her voice…it felt familiar."  
"Familiar?" Daxter backed off, "Jak, are you having some sort of epiphany? The mojo crap again?"  
"I don't know." Jak spoke, "I have to go see her." Jak, toting all his shopping bags, headed that way.  
"You scare me sometimes, Jak, seriously." Daxter spoke, gripping tightly onto Jak.  
Jak walked in silent, his face in a semi-trance mixed with a hint of sadness and deep concern. He wasn't aware that he was heading towards someone.

BUMP!

"DUH!" Jak was now on his butt, his shopping bags fortunately still surrounding his arms. He blinked his eyes a couple of times and saw the man he was bumping into. He was getting help by two other people while the third just watched in amusement.  
"Way to go, ace." Daxter sarcastically eyed Jak.  
"Hey, you okay?" Jak asked, getting up, "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to-  
"WHO DARES TO BUMP INTO ME?" the man Jak bumped cried, "I HATE it when people bump into me!"  
"Wait, that voice is eerily familiar…" Daxter pointed. The man came up to Jak.  
"OH-NO, IT IZ YOU!" Jak turned to face the man he bumped. Wearing a long blue overcoat with a skinny, but fashionable gray scarf, he had long dirty blonde hair up to the tip of his neck and was bespectacled, donning pink rectangular sunglasses. Behind him were a woman in pink and a man in blue. There was no question about it, he was-  
"Michel?" Jak gasped, nearly dropping all his bags. Of all the people to bump into…again.  
"I TOLD _yuu_ to _nev'er_ repeat _moi_ name, you common _fuel_!" Michel shouted, his assistants Mimo and Ginger close by him. Jak sighed. He stared at the third person next to them and gasped as well. Short black hair and dark violet eyes, her fashion wasn't as flamboyant as Michel, whether more "normal", so to speak.  
"Hey, Jak! That's the lady from Dead Town…er…Sandover!" Daxter whispered, "What's her name…Cara, Cartin, Cho…er…Carmen, is it?"  
"Hey, you're that boy who looked like he was about to die." Carmen came, dressed in warm jackets then her usual archeologist clothes, "You feeling better?"  
"SIS! _Wee _do not associate with these _peopel_!" Michel shrieked with Mimo and Ginger shouting in agreement.  
"Uhh…yea, I'm fine." Jak stood up, dusting off the access snow.  
"That's good." Carmen nodded, "Oh, hey, sorry about the incident with Dead Town. I didn't realize you were so passionate about that place."  
"My ancestors lived there." Jak quickly lied, "Stories of that place has been pass down. I'm pretty sure your ancestors lived there, too."  
"I suppose. I've read researches that most of the people of Haven once lived in Dead Town." Carmen pondered.  
"SIS!" Michel shouted again.  
"Sandover." Jak corrected her.  
"Look, I'll be a bit more careful when I research that place again, okay?" Carmen spoke. Jak nodded.  
"That's great. So…you seem to know a lot about Sandover."  
"Yea, kinda." Jak shrugged.  
"SIS!" Michel whined again.  
"Shut up!" Carmen cried, "Sorry, my brother is a wuss, I was the real _"man"_ of the house." Jak laughed which made Michel's pale face grow a deep red. Mimo and Ginger tried to calm their superior.  
"Look, I know this is asking a lot, but if you ever want to come by our house to tell us more of the Sandover, you can." Carmen spoke, "I would like to learn more. Heck, you can stay for dinner or anything like that. I mean, I don't want to take advantage of you and all and-"  
"I'll…come by…sometime." Jak spoke, "I just don't have the time right now."  
"Oh, sure, well…I can give you my phone number and we'll keep in contact." Carmen then pulled out her COMP while Jak pulled out his. They exchanged numbers.  
"Great, thanks a lot, kid." Carmen winked, "Come on, Michel, we got to go to our parents' home for dinner." She dragged the poor celebrity who cringed at Jak. Jak stared at Michel's expression and smiled, waving. Inside his head, it was pleasing to see Michel suffer.  
"Sis, why must _yuu_ associate _yuurself_ with commoners like _zat_?" Michel shouted with Carmen ignoring him.  
"What a nice family." Daxter spoke sarcastically.  
"Come on, we got to go see her." Jak ran to the garage. Once there, he stopped as another familiar figure came out that nearly made him topple over again.

"YOU!" Jak cried. Dressed in a yellow and indigo jacket and snow pants, the familiar bug mask on the top of his head, a wide grin for his signature smile, and flaming red hair. Erol.  
"Geez, what a small world today is." Daxter whispered.  
"Well, if it isn't the dark eco freak. You sure got a lot of guts showing your mug out here." Erol scoffed, his arms crossed.  
"Yea, yea." Jak sighed, obviously not taking Erol seriously.  
"You made a hell of a lot of mess in Haven City and undermined the Baron." Erol continued, "For that, I can't and won't forgive you…of course, I haven't even liked you to begin with. If you had just died like the pathetic little dark eco freak that you are, everything would have been fine."  
"Oh, yea, fine." Jak sarcastically replied, "Slum peoples dying, those bloody Metal Heads constantly invading, the Baron making a deal with the them, I got enough evidence to throw that ruddy mustached menace out."  
"You talk of evidence, but do you actually have any?" Erol asked, "Besides…no one is going to listen to some commoner like you."  
"Well, I'm sure they will listen to the "infamous Jak Bannon." Jak scoffed back, "I'm surprised you're not attacking me now."  
"No…my plan to defeat you will be even better and greater." Erol sighed, staring at the sky, "It'll be in public where I, Erol, shall defeat the "great" Jak Bannon. So savor your moment while you can, Jak." Erol walked away.  
"Yea…go home to your "precious" Baron!" Jak shouted. He then went inside where the girl behind the curtains immediately spoke to him.

"Ya trying to scare away my best customer?" she asked in a sarcastic manner that heavily rivaled Daxter's.  
"We have our issues." Jak muttered.  
"Yea, well, no surprise." The girl spoke, "I didn't hear everything you guys said, mostly just two pairs of voice going on and off."  
"Hmph." Jak rolled his eyes.  
"What do you want?" the girl asked.  
"I kinda would like to know who are you, like…your name?" Jak asked.  
"Why? You going to stalk me?"  
"NO!" Jak shouted automatically, "It's just that…you sound…familiar."  
"….Riiiiiiiiiight." The sounds of metallic clanks were heard as she was busying herself with whatever she was working on.  
"And Krew wants us to join her team?" Daxter eyed her, whispering.  
"Look, if you here to join my team, I said I don't need anyone at the moment." the girl cried, "I don't even know if you're a good racer, so I can't take you guys in just like that. Sheesh."  
"Okay, you can tone down the ruddy sarcasm a few notches." Jak mumbled, "I've been through a lot and by _"a lot"_ I mean, keeping this city intact, I don't need this rubbish."  
"Great. I'll send you a medal. Now, if you don't mind, I'm on a deadline, so scram." The girl muttered some more. Jak groaned.  
"Are you always this difficult?" Jak retorted.  
"Let me handle this, Jak." Daxter got off Jak's shoulder, while Jak protested, "Relax, she ain't gonna know an ottsel is talking. She can't even see me." Daxter then made his way to the girl.  
"Listen lady, we're the infamous duo who's affected this city more so then anyone when it comes to racing; we can outrace anybody in this city. My boy here is great with a zoomer."  
"Daxter…" Jak tried to barge in.  
"No one is better then him then my man himself!" Daxter pointed to Jak, "He can outrace ANYONE, including Erol!"  
"Daxter…." Jak tried to hush Daxter up.  
"Wait! That voice…" The girl gasped, removing the helmet that was protecting her face while she was using a tool to wrap up the metal on whatever she was making.  
"And there are just two things you need to know. One, we don't want to join your stinking race team, and two... you just lost a date with Orange Lightning. Let's go Jak." Daxter made his way out with an embarrassed Jak, carrying the bags of Purity day goods. Before they got out any further, the girl came from behind her curtains…

"Daxter, it IS you!" Daxter and Jak turned around and they both gasped. There stood before them a girl with matching green eyes and hair, donning a pink and magenta pants, red and gray boots, and a lavender long sleeved shirt, goggles gracing her neck.  
"Kiera!" Daxter cried.  
"Oh I never thought I'd be so glad to see your furry mug!" Kiera picked up the little ottsel and gave him a bear size hug, one Daxter appreciate, no less, then she eyed Jak, "And Jak! You look...different."  
"It's been a tough ride." Jak muttered, not really knowing what to say.  
"The Baron pumped our boy here with Dark Eco, and it did something to him. Now he's got super moves or something, and a few anger issues as well!" Daxter explained. After hearing that, Kiera eyed Jak who stared back, his shopping bags now carefully placed on the floor.  
"It's been a while." Jak muttered, sounding almost emotionless.  
"Yea. Kiera said, slowly nodding, "…Oh, I'm so sorry I was so rude to you. I just never recognized your voice…you've…grown, that's probably why. More so then I…or even Daxter has."  
"I know." Jak nodded.  
"You don't look the same as I last remembered you…that boy I grew up with." Kiera sighed, touching Jak's cheek, then quickly letting go "…But that doesn't matter right now, right now…I'm glad to see you." Kiera then gave him a resounding hug, one Jak returned. Kiera could be heard crying while Jak was just silent. What could he say? He hasn't met Kiera in years. He wanted to say, _I missed you Kiera, I miss you SO much_. _Every night I think of you and Sandover, our lives, the way we used to live. _Unfortunately, the words never left Jak's mind. After the heartfelt reunion, Kiera managed to wipe most of her tears away and reverted back to her usual self.  
"I've been looking for you guys forever and planning a way for us to get back home. Somehow that rift took us far into the future. I've calculated the time displacement…" Kiera started to chat.  
"We found your father... well, sort of. " Jak came. Kiera stopped.  
"What?" Kiera gasped.  
"He's working with the Underground fighting the Baron. But he's ahh... " Daxter came in before Kiera interrupted.  
"What?"  
"You need to go see him. And I need to get to the Baron." Jak ordered.  
"Well, you could try to win the Class One Racing Championship. The winner of that big race always gets to meet the Baron in the Palace." Kiera spoke, "It won't be hosted for a while. It comes during the spring, so you have a few more months of waiting."  
"Damn it, everything is too far off." Jak muttered. Kiera was silent.  
"You curse now? And since when were you the impatient type?"  
"Two years can change a person." Jak answered.  
"…Yea." Kiera sighed, disappointed by Jak's new change, then she cleared her throat and spoke some more about the races, "You can drive for my team. But Jak, we should think about getting you out of here. I don't like this place. And some of the people are creepy."  
"I know." Jak nodded, "Well, we'll have to keep contact."  
"…My father…is he alright?" Kiera asked.  
"I'm not so sure." Jak scratched his head, "He's…very…different. I'll take you to him now, if you want."  
"You can take me when I have my vacation tomorrow." Kiera spoke, "I have to finish up the zoomers for the racers by today."  
"Including one Erol." Daxter crossed his arms, "You're uhh…"best" customer."  
"Yea, so?" Kiera crossed _her _arms, "Is there a problem?"  
"No, not really, except the fact that he's AFTER US and trying to KILL US" Daxter shouted.  
"We've had our ups and downs with him." Jak sighed.  
"So I heard." Kiera shoved a bunch of newspapers, all of which details the mysterious "Jak Bannon", "I didn't know if "Jak Bannon" was the same as you, Jak, so I collected the newspaper, just incase. Where did you get the idea of "Bannon" as your surname?"  
"A long story." Jak grumbled.  
"I can't believe you're helping the guy who's after us!" Daxter cried.  
"He's my customer, a paying customer!" Kiera sighed, "Besides, he's not that bad."  
"Whoa! Hold it, time out!" Jak cried, "NOT bad! let's rephrase that!"  
" He isn't." Kiera sighed, "You've probably only seen his cocky side." Jak and Daxter were hardly convinced.  
"It's thanks to Erol that I'm even here today!" Kiera shouted, "I could have had a much worse fate if he didn't save me."  
"He…saved you?" Jak gasped, "EROL?"  
"Yes." Kiera nodded, "When I landed in an alley from the rift ride, I was saved by Erol who took me to a clinic. I manage to find a job by taking over this shop when the previous owner retired and Erol got word of it, found me, told me he rescued me, and since then, we've been on good speaking terms."  
"Are you sure it was him who saved you?" Daxter asked.  
"Well, I was a bit unconscious when I was taken to the clinic, but that red hair is unmistakable." Kiera sighed, "If you got to know him, he's a great guy."  
"Well, we kinda can't…he's in the army and thus, he views me as a criminal." Jak sighed. Kiera, too sighed. Daxter just stared at the two precursians.  
"Well, it's still nice to see you, no matter how much you've changed." Kiera said, her voice soft.  
"Thanks." Jak replied.

The two eventually went their separate ways as Jak had to hurry and deliver his gifts to his close friends (not to mention buy more gifts now that he met Kiera and Carmen).

He gave Avery a new cowboy hat and Mimi a nice set of perfumes; In return, Jak got his own cowboy hat and pie (which Daxter ate more then his share of). For Pecker, he got him a CD on Samba music while Onin was given another a set of perfumes as well, which Pecker appreciated, saying "she's starting to smell". Brutter was hard to give a gift, too. In the end, Jak bought him a book on Krimzon Guards to which Brutter gave Jak the biggest bear hug ever. Brutter gave Jak a giant fish as well, which Jak carefully wrapped up and placed in his bag (he'd let someone else eat it, of course), lest his hands smelled like fish. Next stop was Vin's place. Jak manage to buy Vin a book on Precursors (what little they had in Haven), and Vin started to cry in happiness. Vin in return gave Jak some of his old books on Precursors that he didn't need anymore. Jak appreciated them. Last stop for the day was Krew's bar. Upon entering, Jak and Daxter noticed Krew was missing.

"Hey, there, boys!" Sig cried over to them. He was sitting on one of the tables, drinking.  
"Hey, Sig." Jak waved, "I got ya something."  
"Oh, shoot, I got ya something, too." Sig smiled. Both Jak and Sig reached our and grabbed their respective gifts to each other.  
"Happy Purity Day, kiddo." Sig gave his gift.  
"Same to you…minus the kiddo part." Jak cleared his throat. Sig opened his gift and smiled.  
"Sorry I couldn't get you what you need…I'm not sure what you like and-" Jak was cut off.  
"It's great, kid." Sig smiled. It was a gun cleaning kit.  
"Oh, and I got a gift for Daxter, too." Sig reached in and gave Daxter a book on ottsels, written by a famous expert on ottsels. Daxter was excited to learn more of his own species. Jak opened his gift to find a…  
"Photo album?" Jak asked questionably.  
"Look inside, doofus." Sig grinned happily. Jak, being like some dumb blonde, starred at Sig for a good few seconds before opening the photo album. Inside were pictures of Jak's friends and whatnot. Each photo of his friends had writings on what they think of Jak. Jak starred for a good few seconds and looked at Sig with a blank stare.  
"…Sig…What is this?" Jak whispered.  
"It's a photo album, Jak." Daxter came in, "It's where you put pictures in most of the time."  
"……..How…" Jak started.  
"I recently got word of how much you miss your hometown and your family and stuff, and due to my wonderful connections, I got your friends to help me compose this album." Sig smiled proudly to himself, "I hope you like it, I've been working on it for weeks!"  
"It's great, Sig." Jak spoke softy and sincerely, "Thanks."   
"Hey, where's ol' tubbsy?" Daxter asked.  
"He said he got a call from someone urgent." Sig answered, "He never told me who, nor do I care."  
"I see." Jak pondered, referring back to his old self.  
"I would like if Krew didn't return." Sig drank from his cup, "He's got another mission lined up for me before I take the holiday off."  
"You have a problem with Krew?" Jak asked.  
"Does it involve his size?" Daxter added.  
"No…His work lately…has been a little too dirty for my taste." Sig sighed, "I first joined Krew mainly for money to support my family way back home, then I just started to work for him full time, but now…his job…it just ain't honest no more."  
"Ya think?" Daxter asked as he had terrible memories of the sewers, even though Sig meant another form of "dirty."  
"Ever since you waltzed in, Jak, I've been thinking of my work with Krew…ya know, it ain't none of your problems." Sig smiled softly, "Just go on home and have a great holiday. We all need out rest."  
"Sig, you can tell me, maybe I can help." Jak gestured.  
"Appreciate it, but it's my business, not yours." Sig answered. Jak started to protest, but Sig cut him off, "I mean it. I don't want to talk about it, so just drop it."  
"Fine. You have a good holiday." Jak shook hands with Sig before leaving. He knew better then to pry in other people's affairs. He didn't like to be too pushy.  
"So…where IS that sack of blubber anyways?" Daxter asked Jak once they were outside…

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 15: **Precurso, Day 7 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"I am glad you could make it, Krew." The deep, sinister voice of Baron Praxis spoke. Krew, sitting atop his hover vehicle was in the middle of Praxis' office room. Praxis was starring outside the giant window pane, his back turned to Krew, eyeing the snow which started to fall even heavier. Erol was behind Krew, next to the doorway.  
"Well, you better make it fast, 'ey?" Krew mumbled, "I got business to do!"  
"Don't talk to your superior in that manner, Krew." Praxis scoffed, "I need you for this plan I am doing."  
"Oh?" Krew hovered closer as Praxis starred at Krew now.  
"As you know, there have been legends about the Precursor Stone for some time." Praxis started, "And I know of the powers the stone holds. I need that stone and I plan to get it."  
"If you're asking me to fetch it, you're outta your mind, 'ey! It took me a long time just to get from home to the palace, 'ey! I don't travel long distance much." Krew pointed, "Besides, the stone is just a mere legend."  
"Not when you come from a family that believes in such a thing." Praxis spoke, "I have heard of your skills with weaponry and I was wondering if you could build me a device that can crack open the Precursor stone." Erol had his eyes wide open.  
"For you see, the Precursor Stone can only be opened by the true descendent of Mar, something I am not." Praxis came forth, "But my little nephew, he is the true descendent of Mar."  
"Then get the little brat to do it, 'ey?" Krew suggested.  
"It won't be so easy." Praxis sighed, "He may only be a child less then 10 years of age, but the boy is wise beyond his years. Even forcing him to open the stone wouldn't work. He would rather die. Incase the boy doesn't get the stone open, I want you to build me a weapon that can."  
"What's in it for me, 'ey?" Krew hovered a bit over Praxis, "One cannot finish a deal without making one."  
"Erol." Praxis snapped his finger. Erol took out a credit card or key card of some sort, one holding billions.  
"Even to satisfy you?" Praxis asked as he eyed Erol, who was playfully waving the card near Krew, the fatter one salivating on the prospect of that much currency. Krew gave a grinning nod.  
"We're getting somewhere." Krew grinned, eyeing the card, "Alright, I'll build your weapon." Krew laughed that diabolical laugh. He then flew off, card in hand. Immediately after the royal doors closed after his dismal, Erol walked over to Praxis.  
"Baron!" Erol gasped, walking over to Praxis, "Are you insane! Have you not heard from what your late brother told you? Opening the Precursor Stone without the descendent of Mar is suicide! The entire galaxy will cease to exist!"  
"I will have absorbed its power by then!" Praxis shouted.  
"A-Absorb!" Erol gasped, "How?  
"The child will do it for me." Praxis spoke, "He will absorb all the power of the stone inside himself as only he can, then using technology, I will send all that energy into me…I will be an immortal being. Dare I say…a Precursor."  
Erol was breathless. Praxis would do the impossible, a mortal being not connected to the Precursors become one itself?  
"The world will easily fall before an immortal being, Erol." Praxis walked over to the window and starred down the city, "And I know the young man who will get me that stone…he just won't know it." Erol knew of that young man. Jak.  
_You rely more on Jak then you do to me…_Erol thought, a jealous spark in his eye.

…………………

As the days rolled by, the holidays nearing, it left a surreal mark on Jak. Nearly all the Underground members were gone to join their families and friends for the holidays. With Tess gone, Daxter felt a rather empty gap and tried to heal it through by talking about her to Jak every chance he got. Daxter stopped a little while later after Jak creamed him with a pillow repeatedly; telling him to shut up or he'll feed him to the Metal Heads. Jak manage to give Ashelin a gift, she in return. He even gave one to Samos and Torn. While Samos found this unexpected and with no gift, Jak shrugged, saying it wasn't a big deal. Torn, however, reluctantly handed his gift to Jak, grumbling. Jak grinned to show the result of how he feels toward Torn giving him a gift.

"Don't expect anything special from this!" Torn cried.  
"I won't." Jak grinned again.

He went about and manage to buy gifts for Kiera, Kor, and even Carmen's family, (Michel refuse to accept his gift, so Jak just left it underneath the Purity Day tree, knowing he would open it), whom he manage to visit their home and talk about Sandover.  
"Do you really have to do this?" Daxter asked him one time.  
"This might be a good chance for those ignorant bastards of Haven to finally understand the true meaning of Sandover." Jak answered.

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 15: **Precurso, Day 15 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Concerning the gifts he would give to the child--well, that would come when his birthday party starts. And the day came indeed, one snowy morning. The only people still on the Underground were Samos, Torn, Kor, the child, about 3 Underground members, Daxter, Puar, Ani, and Jak. Not as much as you think. Because of the lack of people, breakfast was a quiet and relaxing meal. The child was more then excited as it was officially Purity Day as well as his birthday. After Jak manage to finish his meals and left the room, the child spoke with the others, including Ashelin who came over to be in the party.

"Are we going to wish Jak a "_Happy Birthday_?" The child asked. Nearly everyone stopped what they were doing.  
"What?" Torn asked.  
"It's his birthday; you do know that...right?" The kid asked.  
"If I did, I probably forgot." Torn shrugged.  
"I wasn't aware." Samos shrugged, "The young man tends to hide a lot of things about himself."  
"Neither was I." Ashelin followed, "Maybe I forgot, too. I don't remember him even talking about his birthday."  
"Why would Jak not mention his birthday?" The kid grew concerned, "This is his birthday as much as it is mine's!"  
"Maybe he was being modest?" Daxter asked. The child sighed. Breakfast ended and the party decoration was about to begin. Before Ashelin could get the child out of the house to decorate the surprise, the child came with an idea.  
"Ashelin, I want to plan a party for Jak…today." The kid suggested.  
"T-Today?" Ashelin gasped, "Do we…even have time?"  
"Ashelin, he has done so much for this city, he deserves this." The child cried, "I want this to be a surprise. Jak deserves this!" Ashelin sighed.  
"We can get Daxter to invite any friends he has." The child suggested, "PLEASE, Ashelin, Jak deserves this! I want to do this for him." Ashelin sighed, and then made a smile, "Alright."  
"Thank you." The child giggled, hugging his cousin.  
"Kid, come on, we got to go!" Jak shouted from the doorway out.  
"I'm coming!" And the he ran to Jak. As the two left, Ashelin pondered.  
"Whatcha thinking about?" Daxter came in with a box of decorations.  
"I'm thinking of hosting a party for two." Ashelin answered, "Daxter, does Puar have phone numbers of his friends?"  
"Yea, why?" Daxter asked.  
"Listen…"

…………………

Jak took the child out during this time, saying he needed to bring Kiera to see Samos anyway.  
"But I do not remember Samos being from the past where you came from." The kid explained to Jak, "What if this Samos is not the same as the one who is Miss Kiera's adopted father?  
"It doesn't hurt to try." Jak came, "Besides, I'm inviting Kiera over to the underground."  
"Inviting…to what?" The child asked.  
"…Just…for fun." Jak quickly lied; making sure the child wasn't suspicious. Once they reached the garage, Kiera gave a short hug to Jak.  
"This is Kid. Kid, this is Kiera, a good friend." Jak introduced.  
"Wait, your name is…Kid?" Kiera lowered herself to the child's level. Christof eyed Jak.  
"It's okay, you can trust her." Jak spoke, seemingly able to read the child's mind.  
"In that case, I am the rightful heir to this kingdom." The kid answered, "My real name is Prince Christof…just Christof. I doubt you will remember my entire name."  
"Oh, my." Kiera gasped, "The prince of Haven, this is truly an honor!"  
"We call him "kid" for better disguise, seeing as the baron wants his evil hands on him." Jak pointed to the child, "Come on, I'll take you to Samos." Kiera took a deep breath.  
"I'm so nervous." Kiera shook her head, "What changes does he have?"  
"You'll be surprised." Jak rolled his eyes. Kiera wore a lavender and green jacket, which looked surprisingly expensive.  
"Where did you get that jacket?" Jak asked.  
"Erol's Purity Day gift for me." Kiera answered, "Oh, and speaking of which, Happy Birthday, Jak."  
"Happy birthday to the kid, too. It's his birthday as well." Jak placed his hands on the boy's shoulder.  
"Wow, coincidence." Kiera giggled, "The same birthday as the prince."  
"Wait, you got that jacket from Erol?" Jak suddenly snapped.  
"Why, what's wrong with that?" Kiera asked.  
"I better pray there isn't any tracking device in that thing." Jak muttered harshly.  
"Jak, stop it!" Kiera snapped back, "He gave it out of friendship! Stop sounding like you're some jealous crazed boyfriend."  
"Oh, rubbish! I am NOT sounding like that!" Jak scoffed, "Please, Kiera, give me a little credit then that!"  
"Enough, both of you!" The kid came, "This is Purity Day, a time of pure innocence and friendship. You can discuss Erol some other time. For now, we celebrate the greatness of this holiday."  
"Everything about this holiday nowadays is all commercialism." Kiera groaned.  
"I'm aware of that, but the royal family values the true meaning behind it." the child spoke, then starred at Jak, "As well as a few others."

………………**.  
**

The return back to the headquarters was a rough ride as Kiera and Jak hardly talked with each other. Upon entering the doorway home, their small feelings of hatred for each other left them.

"SURPRISE!" came just about everyone, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRISTOF AND JAK!"  
"What?" Both Jak and the kid stepped back, and then the two starred at each other, "Did you do this?"  
"Well, in truth, this was going to be the kid's party, but then we got word from him that it was also Jak's birthday as well." Ashelin came in with the answers, "I put two and two together and we decided on a birthday for both of you."  
"You can thank us later." Daxter came in, "Let's just party!" And so they did. There were many an emotion and many a tear. Kiera and Samos had a pretty long talk and although Samos could not remember her, let alone, admit he knew her, the two seem to get along fine, although there was a sense of uncomfortable feelings between the two.  
"You sure got the intelligence from my influence." Samos pointed to Kiera who laughed heartily.  
Jak's friends were invited, causing a more rousing party. Daxter and an underground member were seeing how drunk they could get. Daxter won.  
"Ain't nobody gonna beat you, kid!" Sig gave Daxter a hard noogy.  
"You don't know me." Daxter answered in a drunk manner.

Torn wasn't all that pleased with all the people that were invited, seeing as this was a secret base. Some were excusable. Onin and Pecker were close allies and already knew. Brutter was an exception as he was fighting against the Baron. Avery and his wife were okay as well, they didn't seem to care whether there was a secret base or not, as long as the Baron was down. Stinky Pete took some time to get used to though. However, the others joining in got Torn riled up. Sig, Carmen with Mimo and Ginger (who started to like Jak after he gave them gifts out of the goodness of his heart, plus unlike Michel, he didn't treat them like dirt). In all honestly though, they all had a good time and even Torn manage to loosen up by entering the drinking contest. He lost, but it surprised everyone.

"I didn't know you had it in you." Ashelin spoke after Torn drank 5 glass.  
"I think I'm going to puke." Torn mumbled. Overall, it was a decent party. One the child thought was simply the best.  
"Here's to the kid, 8 years old today, and Jak, 18 and officially a man today!" Pecker rang, holding his glass of wine. Everyone cheered. As he was now officially old enough to drink, Jak had his share of wine and ended up with a slight headache from the first cup.  
"You'll get used to it in time." An underground member patted his shoulder.  
"If only Tess was here to see this." Daxter sighed, sitting on the floor, next to Ani.  
"Honestly, don't you ever stop talking about Tess?" came a voice. Daxter gasped. He knew that voice! That cute, female voice. He heard it before, during the time when Jak was escorting the child to Vin's power station.  
"What th-" Daxter slowly turned and eyed Ani, "…Ani?"  
"Seriously, I think you're obsessed with her." Ani sighed, "Men…" Then she walked away. Daxter gasped. He heard Ani talk. Ani talked! No one else was listening. She talked! Does the kid know this?

Night came, the party was over, and in about a few days, it would be work as usual. Jak and the child cherished as much moments as possible.  
"Thank you for the birthday party." The kid spoke to Jak. The two were outside, greeting the stars and waving good-byes to those who had to walk home.  
"Well, it was more Ashelin's idea." Jak laughed sheepishly.  
"It didn't matter, you were there." The kid smiled.  
"Well, thanks for giving me a birthday party, too." Jak smiled, "You didn't have to."  
"You deserved it, Jak, and I do not wish to hear any more protest, that's any order." The kid commanded. Jak chuckled a little.  
"Purity Day is such a wonderful holiday." The kid spoke, "It's always a time for joy and happiness…it will always be filled with laughter and warm smiles. It's the same as it was 3 years ago, but I'm glad to be around the people I love."  
"Keep up that hope, kid." Jak patted the child, "It's people like you who gives this dank hole a second chance." The two starred long at the many stars, then finally at the palace.  
"Come on, let's go inside." Jak stood up, "I'm starting to freeze." The kid laughed and Jak lead him inside where hot cocoa was waiting for them. With such a short time to relax, it was good to sit back and make the most of it.  
**To Be Continued…**


	19. Tomb of Mar

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part II: The Precursor Stone  
Chapter 19: Tomb of Mar**

"_I'll tell you of a tale, a tale so grand, a tale of romance, adventure, power, magic, and ultimately, the balance of good and evil, a tale of young Prince Christof, whom must stop an evil force and save his kingdom. This is his story."_

_And thus, the play started. I sat down next to Samos, both of us uneasy. The beginning story started with the birth of Young Prince Christof. A big musical, one so bold and brave, rang through as the news of Christof spread. A teen sang the role as King, the father to Prince Christof._

"_As I proudly hold my child in the air  
I have shining hope and care.  
This child shall bring the Kingdom Light  
With his plans and daring might  
Our very own Christof  
Prince of our Kingdom!  
Protector from the Horo-Quans!  
Our very own Christof!"_

_Then we cut to some other scenes involving Christof, the young prince, still a child, escaping the palace walls to visit the outside world of his kingdom. There he met the main female character, Nadia, overdramatically played by Zera. There, they sing a song of their lives, the prince's duty and Nadia's poor, peasant life, as well as showing she was an excellent thief. I saw Christof's family and guards and eventually, I saw the destruction of the city where the Horo-Quans were destroying it. I eyed Samos who lowered his gaze to the floor. Poor Samos. He had witnessed the destruction of those vicious creatures. I gave him a pat on the shoulder and we continued to watch._

_We see the prince being trained over the years to fight, his song he sings victorious and proud._

"_I shall defeat the evils of the land!  
Training from a boy to a man!  
I shall fight from morning till night  
Until I have the power and might!"_

_I never realized how much passion Jak could put in his character he was playing. I don't care how much he denies it; the child can act…and sing! An artistic talent, it doesn't really run in the family that often. My only artistic ability is my accurate drawings of maps. Well, I guess that could count somewhat.  
The play continued as Prince Christof grew. The play showed him meeting new friends and reunited with Nadia who joins to fight against the Horo-Quan who killed her parents. They must journey to find the secret Horo-Quan location. Along the way, they meet a Lurker, signaling Milo's cue. Milo, playing Taki the Lurker sang of how he is in a trap that the "cruel Precursians" trap him in._

"_I am nothing but fur to them  
A creature so strong and true  
They do not see that quality  
I cry, my fur turns from red to blue  
I beg of you, please spare me  
I shall not destroy you  
I am gentle in reality  
My words, they speak so true."_

And of course, the Prince Christof freed him and Taki the Lurker joined. Milo, too, was an excellent actor and singer. I saw the people amazed and talking of his "lifelike costume". I felt a tinge of guilt. Along the journey, they meet evil villains and devious minds, but they manage to overcome them all and after a destiny song with Prince Christof meeting the spirit of his father, he had the strength to fight. That's when a special song came…

"_Silence did the world sound at first…  
Never managing to utter a word…  
Great Precursors gave us life.  
Enriched out world with green and aqua…  
Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain  
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds  
I live in another part of the world  
But always know I am here…_

_When Jak sang that song, I saw in his face a sense of connection I have never seen before. That song was a song Jak sang often. He sang it often, but until now, it seemed to hold a special meaning to the young child. Tears from the audience fell down during this part…_

_I witness the prince's final battle with the Horo-Quan. Then the prince gained enough power and became a powerful Precursor because he had the balance of light and dark in him. More dramatic matters happen and the Prince saved the day. He was crowned King and married Nadia, and then a brave song sang again.  
The curtains closed and everyone applaud. Then the cast came and bowed. Flowers were thrown and bouquets were given, especially to Jak and Milo who both seem to have stolen the show._

_A few minutes after the applauds, Samos and I went backstage where Jak and Milo were already being congratulated._

"_You were SO awesome!"  
"I want your autograph!"  
"Marry me, Jak!"_

_Jak managed to shove his way to the crowd of his now number one fans and run over to me where we exchanged hugs._

"_You were most excellent, my boy." I smiled, "Using your song that you often sing."  
"Yea." Jak nodded, "I had to use it…I was connected to it." Then he hugged me again.  
"Take off your mask, you must be hot in there." came a teenage girl upon seeing Milo, "I bet you look cute in there." The teenagers were pestering Milo to remove his mask, unaware he was truly a Lurker both inside and out. Zera came at this point and gave Jak his notebook.  
"Here." Zera looked quite embarrassed, "You saved the show…not to mention perform well…you'll be good for show biz." Jak smiled and kindly took the notebook.  
"Thank you." Jak nodded.  
"Yea…whatever." And Zera went about her usual way, oh, little Zera…_

_Afterwards, Jak noticed the girls hounding Milo, asking him to remove his mask._

"_Oh-No." Jak muttered, then race towards Milo, "Don't crowd him! Don't!" The girls start to tug at his face and it took them a good few minutes to realize Milo was an actual Lurker._

_A sound of panic rose and everyone just leaving the school play saw the teenagers running for their lives from Milo, the exception being Samos, Jak, and I.  
"Oh-no!" Jak gasped. The teenagers explained that Milo was a real Lurker and the adults gasped in shock and horror.  
"Is this true?" the mayor cried, "Is that thing truly a real Lurker?" And Jak made the mistake by speaking the truth.  
"He is, but he's not a bad Lurker!" Jak cried. The villagers screamed in panic and shock. Jak, the miracle child, brining in a Lurker in their village. Talks of burning Jak and Milo on the stake were frequently spoken.  
"Please!" Jak cried, "He's not evil!" But to change the entire village's mind on Lurkers was a tough challenge…_

………………

**Onin's Hut**  
**Month 1: **Januria, Day 12 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Behold! The Seal of Mar is now complete." There, the Seal of Mar resembled a flat piece of the pendent the kid wore before he broke it in half, "Onin says the three artifacts you've retrieved from the Mountain Temple... arrrrk... are relics from an ancient Light Tower." Pecker continued to speak as the Seal of Mar gently flew to Jak's hands. He was summoned by Pecker through Puar that morning when given report that the Seal of Mar was complete. It has been exactly one month since Purity Day and Jak's missions have been pretty slow lately.

"Great, maybe now we can find the Tomb of Mar." Jak grinned, Daxter nodding.  
"Old songs tell how this light tower once shined down on the actual site of Mar's tomb! I sing one of these songs for you. " Pecker optimistically spoke, _"From the mists of time, Mar's light would shine..."_  
"Whoa there iron lungs! Just tell us what we need to do. " Jak interrupted while Daxter had his ear covered.  
"Cretins with no taste, huh?" He spat out in disgust, "You must take the three artifacts to Mar's gate. Only then will the Light Tower rise and reveal the tomb. It's located in Haven Forest. Can't miss it." Jak nodded and made his way out.

He inform everyone close to him he was going to find the Tomb of Mar. Everyone was more then shocked, but half of them Jak knew were excited, especially the child and Kor.  
"Finally, the Precursor Stone is within our reach." Kor grinned, clutching the kid's shoulder rather tightly. The kid, as well as a few others would meet at the location as soon as Jak found it. Tomorrow would be when Jak would find the location. Everybody was clearly excited. Finding the stone might prove to be beneficial to their quest.

"To Jak!" Samos made a toast and everyone raised their glass and repeated, "To Jak!"  
"I doubt we should be celebrating too soon." Torn's gravely voice came, "We have no clue if the kid WILL even succeed."  
"Oh, Torn, you're such a party pooper." Tess nudged him on the arms, and then proceeded to be entertained by Daxter. Everybody started to dine. The child ate rather slowly though. He was the most excited a few hours back. Jak noticed, but said nothing, preferring to chat with the young heir after dinner. And chat he did as he started to carry the child to bed. With Jak tucking the child in and even going as far as reading him stories, people nicknamed Jak, "Father Jak" or "Brother Jak". Jak told them all to "shut up or I'll bust your kneecaps". Lovely, eh?  
"Jak, can I talk to you?" The kid asked as Jak started to tuck him in.  
"Sure, I had a feeling something was up, you were quite upset during dinner." Jak answered.  
"I was thinking of the trials in the Tomb of Mar." The kid answered, "Kor told me the trials will be devastating and dangerous."  
"Well, you can do it, kid; you got the makings of greatness in you." Jak grinned, "I mean, with all the hell you've experienced in the past 3 years during Praxis' rule, a tomb is no problem for you!"  
"Jak, I am still a boy." The kid came out, "I do not know if my magic alone can help me. I believe I need physical strength as well." Jak was silent, not knowing how to counter back. He didn't get a chance to anyways; the child was starting to cry.  
"Oh, kid…oh, come on, don't cry." Jak frantically searched for a tissue, "You'll be fine, I'll be right with you."  
"I must enter alone!" The kid spoke louder, "…I'm scared, Jak." The first time Jak ever heard the child say that. Jak always seen the kid as a brave soul, someone who couldn't be scared off so easily. While other little kids peed their pants and cried for their "mommies" in a time of turmoil, the child remained brave in the face of danger. Jak sighed and came over. He crawled into the kid's bed and wrapped his arms around the little child, holding him like a parent would to his child.  
"I'm scared, too." Jak admitted. The kid sniffed back a tear.  
"Really?" For once, the child sounded like an 8 year old.  
"Of course, I am." Jak tried to smile to lighten the situation, "Every mission I go to, my heart beats super fast. I'm scared that I'll die when I still need to save the world and stuff."  
"I thought you wanted to get revenge on Praxis." The kid stared at Jak. Jak just smiled back and shook his head.  
"This is more then getting revenge on Praxis." Jak softly spoke. The kid smiled back a little, "There, that's better. Smiles are always best in times like these." Jak got off the bed and tucked the child in again.  
"Kid, don't worry, I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." Jak urged another smile, "Now sleep, we got a big day ahead of us."  
"Good-night, Jak." The kid spoke.  
"Night, kiddo." Jak left the room and sighed. The child was right. He's heard of the trial and how much it requires physical strength among others. How will the child surpass it? Hell, the child would die in there. No, Jak wouldn't allow this. He needed to tell them…

"WHAT?" came Samos.  
"You can't send the child inside the tomb!" Jak cried, "He won't survive!"  
"You cannot decide fate, Jak, only the Precursors." Kor spoke, "Only the ones who have greater power then us mere mortals."  
"The child will DIE!" Jak slammed his fist on Torn's desk. Torn stared at Jak with a bit of shock.  
"The child WILL go through with this." Kor slammed his stick down. Ani was watching the two argue.  
"You'd sacrifice the child's life for some stone?" Jak screamed, "WHAT IF HE CAN'T GET IT? WHAT IF HE DIES THERE?"  
"He won't!" Samos shouted, "He was destined to retrieve it and retrieve it he will!"  
"Screw this destiny crap!" Jak shouted, which was more surprising since he was one of the firm believers of such things, "He's only 8! He doesn't deserve to be stuck in some meat grinder!" Jak's face was red and his fist constantly slammed Torn's desk, which irked Torn, by the way.  
"Oh, be quiet!" Samos came out, "You have no control over the child's life!"  
"I-" Jak started to debate back.  
"The point of the matter is, Jak, THIS is the child's fate…you CANNOT and WILL NOT change it." Jak tried to argue back, but three pairs of eyes were disagreeing with him.  
"You will speak no more, now shut up and go to bed." Torn spoke. Jak, hastily, stormed off.

…………………

"Wow, there it is." Daxter gasped. Jak, Daxter, and Puar were on Haven Forest where after finding Mar's gate and opening it with the Precursor seal, made their way to an old device.  
"Did Mar make this?" Daxter asked.  
"I believe so." Jak shrugged.  
"Got the items?" Daxter asked.  
"…Yea." Jak softly spoke, and then handed Daxter the gear. Daxter took it and ran off, placing it in a slot on a tablet nearby. Jak sighed, looked at the sky, then ran. He ran past floating stones and to a tall tower-like device where he threw the lens cap, which fit perfectly. Then he and Daxter reunited and went to the middle machine where Jak placed the blue crystal in a slot. Once all three were in place, the slot zoomed inside the machine and after much needed machine noises and four thin peaks shot up, lasers came out and shot in the lens cap's direction which ricocheted all the way back to the city. As it zoomed pass the city, the people gasped at what they were witnessing. All the craziness, now this, a giant blue laser! It got even MORE disastrous when it hit the statue of Baron Praxis in the heart of the Mall area. People and Krimzon Guards alike ran in fear as the rocks and rumbles came crashing down. Next thing they knew, there was a hidden door. People wanted to see what was in it, but Krimzon Guards sent them back.  
Praxis came after witnessing this; somehow knowing today would be the day that Jak would find the hidden tomb. He forbade anyone to enter and the KG made sure of that. Soon, Praxis and Erol (who was with him) hid in a nearby corner of the city as the kid, accompanied by Kor, Samos, Ani, Torn, and Tess ran towards the Mall area and went into the door.  
"Perfect, now we wait for Bannon." Praxis grinned. And predictably, Jak came running with Daxter and Puar by his side. His bottom part jacket flew as he ran past the snowy grounds. Once inside, Jak and the gangs took an elevator down.

**Tomb of Mar**  
**Month 1: **Januria, Day 13 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Wow." Daxter gasped. Jak remained silent, guilty for doing this. Once down, he met with the others.  
"You did it, Jak! You actually found Mar's tomb!" Samos gasped.  
"Great! Now what? We send this poor kid into a meat grinder?" Jak cried out, clutching onto the boy's shoulders, rather tightly, I might add. The rest ignore his grip.  
"This is the day I've long awaited! To hold the fabled Precursor Stone in my hands." Kor dramatically spoke, as though he had a sudden lust for power.  
"You must be cautious, child. The tests of manhood are sure to be fraught with peril and Mar's heir must face them alone." Samos stared at the child.  
"It's okay, kid. You can do it. It's just a deep, pitch-black, 'sure to be filled to the brim with painful death' old tomb." Daxter's respond grew less enthusiastic, and then he responded, "I wouldn't go in there."  
"Well, now what?" Torn asked.  
"We wait for the door to open, I suppose." Tess shrugged, then he eyed Jak, "Oh, Jak, I forgot. That girl, Kiera, she wanted me to give this to you!" Tess came to Jak with a small circular device with razors sticking out. Jak took it and eyed it.  
"…Um….What the bloody hell is it?" Jak asked.  
"It's a hoverboard; she said you could use it." Tess smiled.  
"…Umm…What's a hoverboard?" Jak asked. Tess sighed and ended up explaining it. Jak still didn't get it, but he kept the board anyways, strapped to his back.  
"Jak…I'm afraid." The kid spoke. Jak quickly went to the kid's aid.  
"….I know." Jak said, sincerely and calmly, trying to reassure the boy.  
"I'm afraid, but I know I must go through with this." Jak was silent. The child was ready to risk his very own life. Jak knew he would never make it, but what could he do?  
"Here." Jak started to take off the pendent, "You might need the full thing."  
"Jak, stop." He did, "I gave it to you. I do not want it."  
"But--" Jak started to protest, but then a loud nose came about. Everyone gasped and stared up.  
"Welcome, heir of Mar. I am the Oracle. Finally, the chosen one stands before me. Enter and prove yourself worthy to claim the ancient birthright. I shall be thy judge." The Oracle spoke. Its head was at the top of the door in stone, but it was clearly alive. The door started to slowly open from the top. Everyone was silent, no body talked. As the door slowly opened, voices came inside Jak's head. He couldn't make out what their saying. The voices seem to also speak in ancient Precursor language. It still was too silent for Jak to understand, but he was drawn to it. The voices were haunting, but it felt inviting. He felt the need to follow it. The voices, some of them, felt familiar to him somehow. He wasn't aware of what he was doing. He started to walk to the gate as it slowly opened, dazed and in a trance. He slowly left the child who stared at him in shock. Closer…closer…he felt so familiar…closer…closer..

"JAK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Torn cried.  
"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Samos shouted.  
"THAT IS FOR THE YOUNG PRINCE!" came Kor.  
"Jak?" The kid whispered questionably, yet with a sense that he has discovered something. Still, he walked on until the Oracle stopped him.  
"NO!" It cried. Jak snapped out of it and noticed he was halfway to the door. How did THAT happen!  
"This child is too young to face the tests!" And the door started to close.  
"What! No!" Kor gasped. Everyone was shocked and mainly confused. What WAS going on?  
"Do something, Jak!" Samos cried out, desperate for anything to stop the door from closing.  
Jak, without a moment's haste, automatically ran, but out of the tomb, but towards the closing door. He knew he wasn't allow to, but damn it, he wasn't going to push the kid in! He dive in the doorway, rolling under as the door was more then halfway closed.  
"JAK!" Everyone cried.  
"Ani, protect him!" The kid gasped. Ani quickly ran inside. Daxter noticed this and ran to Jak in panic.  
"Jak, remember the 'sure to be filled to the brim with painful death' part!" He yelled, but as he got close to the door, he tried to runaway, but Jak pulled him in.  
"YAAAAGHH!" He screamed. The door closed.  
"Oh-No! Jak's gone to face the trials!" Samos gasped.  
"That stupid kid!" Torn growled.  
"No…he's gone to his death." Kor's dramatic voice came again.  
"He's not the chosen one…oh, we are so doomed." Tess lowered down.  
"He will make it." The kid came close, everyone repeating crying, "What?" The child stared back at the others, "He WILL make it, I know he will."  
"You don't have any proof of that, your majesty." Samos gasped.  
"Don't doubt me, Sir Samos!" The kid snapped, "He WILL make it."  
"Freeze!" Another voice rang out and all of them turned to face the Krimzon Guards, Erol, and Praxis himself.

……………………

"Oh, great, we're stuck!" Daxter sighed. Jak looked around his surroundings. The entire place was huge and deathly ancient. Large statues of previous Kings stood placed on the walls, giant, massive pillars intimated the entire scenery, torches blazed in every corner, ancient writings were on the wall, and giant tablets of stories and legends of old covered every acre of the entire walls and ceiling. In the middle was a giant pool of water.

"Whoa." Daxter stared, wide eye.  
"Yea." Jak nodded. Ani barked. Jak gasped and saw the little crocadog.  
"Ani, you're here, too?" Jak smiled, bending down to pet the little dog, "Did the kid sent you?" Ani nodded.  
"Well, alright, I need as much help as I can get…I can tell this isn't going to be so easy." Jak sighed.  
"I wish I had Puar so I could keep contact with the others…I hope they're doing okay." Jak pondered.  
"So, we're going in?" Daxter asked.  
"Yep, we're going in." Jak nodded, "Come on, let's go." The trio went down a long path that led down to the large pool. Jak was pretty surprise to see the pool of water was shallow. From afar, it looked filled.  
"We're just going to wade through this?" Daxter gasped.  
"I suppose." Jak said, but Daxter's suggestion wasn't taken to heart when they spotted white fish-like creatures with black stripes lurking in the water, waiting for prey, and their teeth were inches long and deep.  
"Never mind, I take it back!" Daxter shrieked. As Daxter clung onto Jak's leg, the taller one pondered for a brief minute before a light bulb shone above his head. Jak took out the hoverboard, "I can use this!" Daxter climbed on top of Jak's shoulder.  
"Hope you know how to use that thing." Daxter mumbled. Jak stared.  
"It's so small, how do you ride this thing?" Jak gasped. He searched every part of the board and after much staring, notice a small button, barely noticeable, "Of course." Jak mumbled and press the button, extending the board.  
"Oh." Jak nodded. He threw the hoverboard near him and he was amazed at it hovering next to him.  
"That's awesome." Jak gasped, "Thanks, Kiera." Jak then slowly climbed onto the board all the while maintaining his balance.  
"Okay, I think I got it." Jak weakly smiled. Daxter clutched tightly to Jak's shoulder. Ani slowly climbed on the hoverboard, wrapping its tail around one of Jak's leg. Jak let loose and the hoverboard went off.  
"WHOA!" Jak tried so hard to keep his balance. It was frantic enough to scare most of the striped creatures away though.  
"Take it easy, Jak!" Daxter cried, "Practice!"  
"What do you think I'm doing?" Jak cried back. After a few minutes, Jak manage to keep his balance and steering. Afterwards, they hovered over to the giant double door in front of them. Once there, Jak put his hoverboard back on his back and headed for the door. There he stood, waiting for it to open, but nothing.  
"Nothing's happening!" Daxter cried, "What a load of crap!" The Oracle's voice rang clear.  
"Pass the tests of manhood." The torches shone brighter on two doors to the side that Jak and the others haven't noticed before, "The trial of Manhood one lies on that door and the trial of manhood two lies on that door." Jak, Daxter, and Ani eyed each other.  
"Come on, let's go." Jak gestured and the trio went to the first trial.

The double doors there opened slowly and the trio dwelled in. Immediately upon their enter the sounds of spiders filled the room.  
"What's going on?" Daxter gasped, "What's with that sound? Jak?" The little ottsel shrank. Daxter screamed when he saw a shadow of a spider.  
"IT'S A GIANT SPIDER!" he screamed. The spider's shadow came closer and closer and closer until…a small spider of normal size passed Jak's feet. Jak grinned and stared at Daxter who gave a sheepish smile.  
"Well, it looked big and all and…" Daxter started, "Let's just go."  
The trio traveled for a while. Nothing bad was happening, but there were quite a lot of spiders. They got bigger and more plentiful as the trio entered deeper into the trial. Daxter was shaking and proceeded to hide in Jak's bag. Ani was having a trouble time walking. Jak noticed this and carried Ani in his arms. Jak struggled in his way, careful not to touch any spiders.  
"Jak, maybe we should go back." Daxter mumbled, "I don't like this. This sucks. I think I'm arachnophobia."  
"I don't like it either." Jak groaned, "I haven't since this much spiders since the Spider Cave…I'm feeling rather disturbed." Jak took out his gun incase while the other hand was holding Ani. As they ventured in closer, they went up spiked platforms, crossed over dark eco pools, and activated switches, all the while avoiding spiders. So far, Jak was doing a good job. It was when they reached a dead end when things started to turn for the worse.  
"Whoa." Daxter gasped. They were in a small room with absolutely no spiders. There was a pathway out, but it was blocked by a giant green boulder of some sort with elegant designs. Jak knocked on it.  
"How very odd…the sphere feels like an egg." Jak gasped. Daxter noticed there were two pliers holding the egg. He leaped off of Jak's backpack and examined it.  
"Maybe if we pull these pliers off, the boulder will move." Daxter suggested. Ani came close with concern on its face. Daxter noticed and grinned.  
"Check this out, baby, I have opposable thumbs, so I can actually do something, while you just sit and wait and do…nothing." Daxter obviously enjoyed tormenting the poor dog. Ani just sat down next to Daxter, rolling its eye in disbelief. Daxter struggle to pull the pliers.  
"Daxter, let me help-" Jak started, but Daxter refused. After a few minutes, the pliers came loose…and so did the boulder.  
"Uhh…uh…JAK!" Daxter cried.  
"DAXTER!" Jak cried out. The boulder was heading in the right, through another doorway Jak and the others haven't seen before. Ani was heard barking as well as Daxter's scream. Jak was about to go in to help them, but the doorway closed on him.  
"DAXTER! ANI!" Jak cried, "DAXTER! ANI!" Jak slammed his fists onto the door. Oh, how will they ever escape?

………………

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Daxter's scream came as he ran for dear life, Ani following closely behind.  
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT" Daxter shouted to Ani, seeing his state of panic, he was quick to blame others. Ani groaned. The young crocadog was much further away from the boulder as it was faster then Daxter, but the ottsel was dangerously close to it. Ani took a deep sigh, raced towards the boulder, grabbed Daxter by the neck, tossed him up in the air until he landed on Ani's back, and started to run with Daxter in toll. Daxter kept screaming all the way as the boulder came close. A loud sound made the two fall, but the boulder was nowhere to be seen. Infact, it broke into little pieces. Daxter and Ani both got up, only to hear a raspy sound behind them. The two slowly turned their heads and notice a giant spider behind them, hungry for some ottsel and crocadog meat. The two stared at the spider, then at each other, and screamed.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

The spider gave chase and the two ran again.  
"THIS IS ALL YOUR-" Daxter started again.  
"OH, SHUT IT, YOU LITTLE RAT!" Ani cried. Daxter gasped again.  
"YOU DO TALK!" he shouted as they kept running.  
"WELL DUH!" Ani cried again, "What, you think I BARK all day?"  
"YES!" Daxter shouted, and then slammed into a wall. They were in a dead end.  
"Oh, great." Ani said, "Ottsels can climb, right?"  
"Not against walls this smooth!" Daxter panicked. The spider came close.  
"That's it, we're doomed." Daxter sighed, "And I never got to know true love."  
"Think, Daxter!" Ani shouted. As the spider came close, it started to reveal it's behind, shooting webs. Ani and Daxter ducked in time, but another just came out.  
"That's it!" Ani grabbed Daxter by the neck and used the spider webs as springs to get to higher places. The spider wasn't all that bright, so it unleashed another wave of webs and another. Ani and Daxter made their way up as a result, and kept running. They saw a doorway, but it was starting to close.  
"RUN FASTER!" Ani screamed. Daxter was practically grabbing onto Ani's tail for that boost of speed. The two leaped and out the doorway just before it closed onto the spider who struggled to make its way out, but couldn't. The doorway closed and Ani and Daxter was in a very dark room with only a single torch above them lighting below.  
"Oh, great, NOW where are we?" Daxter cried. He started to walk out of the light and into pitch black, but Ani grabbed his tail.  
"Are you crazy?" Ani gasped, "You don't know what's out there! You can't even see in the dark! You could be walking into a trap!" She had a point.  
"Then what do we do?" He cried.  
"We wait." Ani answered.  
"What?" Daxter shouted.  
"Jak will think of something." Ani sighed, "Until then, we wait." Daxter sighed and sat next to Ani who was lying down looking rather depressed.  
"So, you don't talk in front of the others?" Daxter asked.  
"No." Ani shook her head, "I usually talk like this to animals."  
"I see." Daxter mumbled, "Why?"  
"Because most animals don't talk. Like you, Daxter, You talk, but you can't show it to the majority of precursians because it's not common. You know how easily precursians freak out."  
"Hey, watch it, I used to be one." Daxter crossed his arms.  
"I heard." Ani nodded.  
"So, how is that you can talk?" Daxter asked.  
"I don't know. My mother never spoke in precursian tongue." Ani answered to the best of her ability, "Maybe it's a gift from the Precursors. They work in mysterious ways." The answer seemed enough for Daxter as he quickly changed the subject.  
"So…now what?" Daxter asked.  
"I don't know." Ani sighed, "We wait, like I said."  
"…I think we should get to know each other." Daxter suggested. Ani gasped, surprised at Daxter's idea.  
"Look, we started off on the wrong foot, okay?" Daxter started, "And now that I get a closer look at you (and finding you're a lady), you're not so bad looking." Ani laughed a little.  
"Eh, you're okay, too." Ani stare briefly at the ottsel's face, "So, what do you need to know about me?"  
"You think Kor is strange?" He asked.  
"Definitely, I do not trust that guy!" She shook her head. Daxter smiled, showing his teeth.  
"This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship." Daxter sighed.  
**To Be Continued…**


	20. Precursor Stone

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part II: The Precursor Stone  
Chapter 20: Precursor Stone**

_"What kind of precursian brings a Lurker in our village?" the mayor cried.  
"Please, Mr. Mayor, he's not bad! He's a good guy!" Jak debated, "I mean, did you not see him in the play? He didn't attack anyone and he's not attacking me or anyone…right now."  
"A lurker is a still a Lurker, dangerous fuzzy beasts who feast upon precursians." The mayor cried out.  
"Actually, we don't eat Precursians." Milo barged in, "We're more strictly into fish and vegetables and sometimes we like-"  
"SILENCE!" The pudgy mayor pointed, usually a bumbling idiot, but now a savage dictator, "You will be killed for even entering this village!"  
"NO!" Jak cried, "He's a good guy!"  
"Jak…you are a gift to Sandover village, but you are willing to throw away that just so you can help this…thing!" The mayor spoke bravely, "If you have loyalty in us, you will kill that monster!"  
"I won't!" Jak cried, "I WON'T!"  
"Then so be it!" the Mayor shouted, "GET THEM!"_

_The entire townsfolk went ballistic; tempt to be ridding of the Lurker. Milo gasped, not knowing what to do. He was pulled away by Jak who was half dragging him away to safety. They left the play and outside the Sandover village where harsh rain started to fall. Me? I just stayed put, not knowing what to do. So did Daxter, Kiera, and Samos._

_"It's nighttime and raining, it might distract them more." Jak panted, "Come on, we have to get you to safety." Jak tugged Milo's arm and he was half dragged away again.  
"Jak, where are you taking me?" Milo asked.  
"You're going to take one of the boats." Jak pointed out, "You can use that to go home."  
"I cannot return home…they wouldn't want me, I like precursians." Milo suggested, "Lurkers consider that a betrayal."  
"But I can't let you live here!" Jak shouted, "I like you, I like you a lot, Milo, but you'll be killed!" Milo wanted to say something, but being half dragged in the rain was clouding his mind. They ran pretty far from the village and into the deep Forbidden Jungle. The shouts of the villagers were heard from afar. Milo took a deep sigh.  
"So much for me getting accepted." Milo weakly smiled, trying to lighten the situation.  
"I don't want you to die." Jak shook his head. Milo smiled warmly. He saw the boy was in tears.  
"I'll die, too, if I have to." Jak spoke, "I'm sick and tired of people discriminating each other! Why can't we all get along? I want people to accept others!"  
"It's hard for people to do that." Milo explained, "It's impossible, you could say."  
"Why can't Lurkers and Precursians get along?" Jak asked, "Everybody in my hometown speaks terrible things of your kind, but I never saw anything bad with them!"  
"If a Lurker attack your village and hurt the ones you loved, would you not defend them and attack that Lurker?" Milo asked calmly. The shouts of the villagers grew louder. Jak was flabbergasted, but reluctantly nodded.  
"I'd do the same thing if a Precursian attacked my hometown and the ones I loved." Milo spoke, "Precursians hurt other precursians, too. Lurkers are the same."  
"But…" Jak tried to get something out, but couldn't.  
"You are a great boy." Milo placed his massive furry hands on Jak's shoulder, practically consuming all of his upper arms, "But you're only 13. You have so much to live. Don't risk your life for me."  
"Then what do I do?" Jak sniffed back some tears.  
"I'm going to go hide in the Forbidden Jungle…there are Lurkers here, I'm sure they'll accept me."  
"But they'll hurt you or insult you because you like Precursians." Jak pointed out.  
"I'll keep that a little secret." Milo winked, "and you tell the villagers that you got rid of me. That way, both  
of us will live and someday, we'll see each other and have some fun, okay?" Jak was reluctant, but with little choice other then death, Jak nodded. He and Milo exchanged a hug, which felt warm in the cold rain.  
"Maybe one day, Lurkers and Precursians will get along." Milo whispered, and then he ran off like the wind. Jak watched as the furry giant disappeared off into the bushes. The villagers shouts grew louder at that point and all were merely a few feet away from Jak. When they saw the boy, they were puzzled._

_"Where's the Lurker?" came one of the villagers.  
"I…I…I got rid of him." Jak, a rare time when he lied.  
"You did?" came another. Jak nodded.  
"He's gone." Jak barely muttered, the villagers looking at him in slight disbelief so Jak added, "What? You want to see? Then go to the jungle and find his body!" That stopped them cold, so the villagers went for the next best thing, they cheered and praised Jak._

_"Good show, boy!"  
"We knew you had it in ya!"  
"This is a time for celebration!"  
"Whoopee!"_

_Jak was taken back to the village where I immediately ran to him.  
"My goodness, you get sick easily, my boy!" I cried, "Out in the rain!" Jak watched Kiera and Daxter who gave their share of concerned faces. In mere minutes, everybody was home, except a few who were all celebrating in the local bar. They kept knocking on my door, saying Jak should be part of the celebration.  
"No thank you, my boy is too young to drink! Come back in five years!" Then I slammed the door.  
Jak was wrapped in blankets, sitting near the fireplace, the look of sorrow in his eyes. I asked what happen and he explained everything. Afterwards, he asked me to keep it a secret. I nodded and did so.  
"You know…maybe I will see Milo someday." Jak smiled slightly, his eyes still watery, "and someday, Precursians and Lurkers will be together."  
"Maybe so." I smiled with him. We were both drinking hot cocoa.  
"I'll see Milo again, I know I will!" Jak was his usual self again, "That I promise!"  
Promises…most promises are broken or can't be kept. Jak, unfortunately, never saw Milo again. Over the years, I don't know for sure if Jak even remembers Milo, I never brought up the subject. I think Jak does remember him and wonders how he's doing. But for now, the boy is still the redeeming miracle child of Sandover._

……………………

**Tomb of Mar**  
**Month 1: **Januria, Day 13 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"UGH!" Jak manage to reach the top platform. He then sat down and took a deep breath. Climbing was a lot harder then he imagined. After failing in getting Daxter or Ani, Jak had no choice but to move on. He knew they would be alright.  
"After all, Daxter has Ani, they'll survive." Jak would say to himself repeatedly.  
Jak manage to pass the first trial and was now in his second. He faced water with electricity, flaming arrows, more spiders, musical tiles, booby traps up the wazoo such as spiked chain balls coming out of nowhere among others. The tomb was giant and quiet, hardly any noise going on. He hated this…he hated being lonely. Jak, taking a break from climbing, suddenly just felt chilly. He was lonely. It's just like when he was very young…no body was there for him because the kids thought he was strange, he was lonely. Jak hummed a little tone, trying to relax himself, but he was growing uncomfortable. This tomb felt very unsettling to him.

"It's a tomb; chances are I'm scared because of dead bodies." Jak spoke to reassure himself, and then realized, "…Why am I talking to myself?" Jak pounded on his head with his hands.  
"I think I'm going crazy." Jak calmly said to himself, "Insane."  
"STOP TALKING TO YOURSELF!" He shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. Silence.  
"I am going crazy." Jak squeaked.

_"Of course you're going crazy!"  
"Oh-no! Not you again!"  
"Think you could have kept me away for so long? You took control of me once, won't happen again!"  
"Leave me alone!"  
"You're talking to yourself…this place is driving you maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad."  
"Shut up!"  
"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDD!"  
"I SAID SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE! I'll control you! I've done it before, I can do it again!"  
"You know why you're nervous and scared. You know you're crazy! You're going to DIE here!"  
"No, I won't!"  
"This is a tomb, how appropriate!"  
"I won't die here! I don't belong in this tomb! This is for the Kings of Haven! I'm just a normal boy."  
"Normal? What am I, chopped Yakow meat?"  
"You leave me alone!"  
"You'll die here. See down below? See all the darkness? It's a bottomless pit! You'll fall down there and you WILL die down there. It's bottomless, you'll fall forever!"  
"Shut up!"  
"You act all strong on the outside, but you're really weak…WEAK! You can't even control me now! What hopes do you have? Go die. Jump off now!"  
"NO!"  
"JUMP OFF! I'm doing you a favor! You won't listen to me in terms of letting your darkness consume you, so just die!"  
"I don't want to die! I'm only 18! I don't want darkness!"  
"Your revenge is disappearing! You want the Baron, now you're being that goody two shoes you were before?"  
"This isn't who I am! I'm not like that! I don't want the darkness to consume my heart! It contradicts everything I believe in! And I don't want to die! I WANT TO LIVE!"  
"YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!"_

Jak screamed and he tripped over himself. He fell. He fell into the empty darkness. The bottomless pit or so his dark half said. Jak didn't mutter a word, let along a scream. He's eyes were wide open and watery. This was it…his life…ending…now…The last thing he remembers seeing was his pendent glowing…

……………………

_"Why do people fight each other?"  
"They fight for many reasons, some for pride, some for money, some to protect others or places they truly care about."  
"What is father fighting for?"  
"He is protecting his kingdom, his friends, his people, and his family…us."  
"Mother…I don't understand…why can't the metal Heads and Precursians live side by side?"  
"Sometimes things don't work that way, my dear little child. The world is complicated and each person is different then the other."  
"But father is trying so hard to gain peace with the Lurkers. The Lurkers hate our kind, but he is trying. Metal Heads hates us, too, but we are fighting them."  
"We have to fight them; they are trying to destroy us."  
"Why can't we all get along?"  
"It's not that simple, my child. Look…look at that flapping wingull…see how it eyes that beetle Eyes?"  
"Yes."  
"Watch."  
"It ate the beetle eyes!"  
"Of course. The wingull eats to survive in the same manner that we fight to survive. We fight other precursians as well."  
"I see…but I want everyone to get along."  
"An impossible goal at most."  
"But if we try, we can do anything."  
"Possibly, but we are not the mighty Precursors, we are merely mortals, but we're special. We can hear the cries of the Precursors and their pleas…their requests, their prophecies; the Precursors are everywhere, my child. As the members of the royal family, we must watch over this kingdom."  
"Mother, why can I not hear the Precursors?"  
"You are still young. When you get older, you will hear them, too."  
"I see…"_

…………………………

"Mother…I…I want to hear them…."  
"I want to hear the Precursors…"  
"I wish everyone could get along…"  
"I…I wish…"  
"……………………………..."  
"I wish you were alive…you and Father…."

Jak slowly opened his eyes. His entire body was flat on the ground. He could barely see it, but it was hard and slightly soft. He was definitely not falling down for the rest of his life. Jak gasped slightly and slowly, got up, his back hurting more ways then one. Jak let out a massive groan and observed his surroundings. The back of him was completely dark. An unwise man would walk in without a light and unfortunately, he had no light. The front of him, however, was a small hint of glowing light. Jak, feeling as though in a trance, walked towards that light, ending up inside a set of double doors with fire torches nearby. Jak, curious, tried to open that door. He struggled, but couldn't do it. Then he noticed a small circular object in the middle of the door. Jak looked around, then thought the pendent might go there. He only had half, so what would happen? He placed his half of the pendent inside…nothing.  
"Damn it!" Jak kicked the door. Jak took the pendent and decided to take one of the torches to the other side.

_"It's open."_

Jak stopped…he heard a voice. He quickly turned around and the double doors were open…slightly, but enough to squeeze through. Jak gasped or try to, his breath seem to have left him. Nervous and scared, Jak went inside. There it was dark in almost every corner with only a handful of torches lighting the room. The pillars connected with arches on the top. There were statues, carefully crafted and each standing a towering 20 feet tall. Next to the statues were…unless Jak's eyes were playing with him, tombs. Coffins, whatever you want to call it, it was there. Jak's breath all about left at that point. He was in some sort of cemetery. Jak moved backwards out of fear and bumped into a pillar. What is this? A cemetery where the coffins lay on pillars with a statue next to it. No two statues were the same.  
"Where am I?" Jak muttered quietly, "I…I'm scared." Jak notice a central tomb with a statue next to it that he was more then familiar with. That was a statue of Mar. Statues of him were everywhere in Haven City. Jak sighed, took a deep breath, then went towards the statue, and then notice a tomb next to it. It was on top of a pillar like the rest of the coffins. Jak noticed a plaque. He lowered himself down and barely managed to read it:

_Here lies First King Mar, Creator of Haven Kingdom.  
His power of Holy and Precursors will forever be a gift._

"By the Precursors…" Jak gasped, "This…this is the tomb of Mar…his body is in that tomb…Oh…my…this-this is the fabled tomb of the Haven Kings." Jak gasped, not knowing whether to feel excited to find something hardly ANYONE knows the location is or guilty that someone like him  
entered into such a sacred place. Jak, however, didn't think neither anymore as he looked at the other tombs. All previous Kings of Haven, all previous rulers of Haven City. The statues represented the tombs of the sleeping Kings. He then found the one he was really looking for:

_Here lies the 12th King Baralior, Defender from the Horo-Quan.  
His powers of war and strategy kept this city a safer place._

"Christof…I found your father." Jak whispered, touching the tomb ever so slightly, "But…why am I here? I'm not…a royal family member." Jak eyed the pendent he held, "Is it because I have this?" Silence…nothing but the wind…until he heard a voice, a soft, whispering voice.

_Answers…of such questions…Precursors watches you…choose wisely in the end…abandon Haven or protect it…_

Jak gasped again…next thing he knew, he was being flung out of the tomb in super fast motion and back to the platform he fell from. It was like he was pressed fast forward! He landed butt first. Jak opened his eyes and saw him back on the platform. That voice…what was it? He's been hearing so many voices. But that didn't stop Jak now. For some odd reason, he felt determined.  
"I have to tell Christof that I found it, the tomb of his father and his ancestor!" Jak cried to himself. He didn't care if he was talking to himself; he just kept climbing and climbing and climbing…until he found the switch to open the second door. He managed to push the first switch in the first trial which send a beam of blue light to the giant double doors. Upon pressing the second one, another beam of blue light came which reached the giant double doors.  
"I…I did it." Jak smiled, "YES!" A floating platform took him down and Jak hover boarded over the swallow water. When he reached the double door, it opened and there…standing right before him were Daxter and Ani!

"Hey, the lights back on! I can see!" Daxter cried. Ani notice Jak first and barked.  
"Daxter! Ani!" Jak cried out.  
"JAK!" The little animals ran towards Jak where hugs were exchanged.  
"I'm so glad you two are okay." Jak smiled, "Where happen to you both?"  
"We had a hairy experience! No thanks to you!" Daxter cried out, knowing he rather not see that giant spider again.  
"Well, I had quite the experience myse-" Jak started until he was interrupted.  
"Welcome young warrior. Many eons have passed since our hope burned so brightly. Today you have proven yourself worthy to receive Mar's legacy." The Oracle's voice rang loud. The trip gasped slightly from his voice which rang deep around the large area they were in. The entire area was the same as the rest of the tomb, but there was another bottomless pit, only crossable with a bridge. There was a wide road lined with pillars and in the far back, a giant statue of Mar, with a wide green Gem on it.  
"He's talking about me! Thanks, your holy-statueness." Daxter bowed. Ani rolled her eyes, "This tomb wasn't so tough!"  
"What you are about to receive contains grave power, and with it comes grave responsibility." The Oracle started. Jak, Daxter, and Ani started to walk towards the giant statue.  
"Eons ago, the Precursors waged a terrible war with the Hora-quan, those dark creatures you refer to as 'Metal Heads'. Driven by their dark leader, the Metal Head legions destroyed our great civilization, and now they swarm the universe unopposed, looking for the last relics of our power. Mar tried to hide the Precursor Stone in this tomb to protect it from them. It is our last hope, and you were chosen to keep that hope alive."  
"Huh?" Jak gasped, "I think you've got me confused with someone else. I just want the Stone."  
"It is time to fulfill your destiny! Behold!" The Oracle obviously ignored him and instead let the three eyed the green gem.  
"Wow! Let's get the goods!" Daxter started heading there, but was interrupted when a flying machine came out of nowhere.  
"You fools! You brought me right to the Stone! Your pitiful Underground friends were no match for my guards above!" The Baron's voice rang. It was a spidery machine and it attached itself to the statue.  
"Praxis!" Jak gasped, "How did he get here?"  
"Now I will gain the power I need to crush my enemies!" Praxis spoke through, and he started to take the gem out, "And after claiming the Stone, I'll begin with you!"  
"Abomination! The Precursor Stone was not meant for you!" The door behind them closed, trapping them all.  
Jak was enraged. The Baron paid no attention to Jak at the moment as he was busy using the front legs of his spider mech to pry the stone off. Jak cursed and took out his morph gun.  
"STOP IT, PRAXIS!" Jak shouted as he shot the mech, the bullets only ricocheting off it, "That stone isn't yours!"  
"Like bull it ain't!" Praxis cried, "I AM the King of Haven Kingdom, this stone was entrusted to Mar, I AM Mar's blood, it's rightfully mind!" Jak kept shooting, however hopeless it was.  
"DAMN IT! I SAID LEAVE IT ALONE!" Jak cried, "I won't let you do this!"  
"SHUT UP!" Praxis cried, then his mech started to chuck bombs, already lit.  
"YAHHH!" Daxter screamed, clutching tightly onto Jak's shoulders. Ani barked madly, even though it wouldn't do a lick of anything with the bombs. Jak suddenly got an idea. He quickly ran up and took one of the bombs, then chucked it at the mech. It was a heavy bomb, so he had to use both his arms. The bomb flew and landed around the middle of the mech, promptly damaging it.  
"ARGH!" Praxis cried, aware that his mech couldn't handle his own bombs. Bitten by his own dog.  
"Guys! Grab bombs, throw!" Jak ordered, "Before they blow up!" And the trio did so. Daxter, with his skinny arms was having a trouble time, but his thick ottsel tail was more then enough to swing the bomb like a baseball. Ani charged towards the bombs, each hitting Praxis. Praxis was frustrated at this point. His mech wouldn't be able to take anymore bombs. Damn it, he didn't care. He WANTED that stone. No, he needed it. The constant digging and pulling, he wouldn't give in. He would get what he wanted. The bombs kept coming and his mech was this close to crumbling and dropping Praxis to the bottomless pit.  
"He got the stone!" Daxter cried. Jak gave an appropriate, "HUH?" No one, not even Praxis knew that the stone was finally out of the giant statue and in Praxis' mecha arms. Praxis laughed his sinister laugh. Jak and the others notice the entire tomb was crumbling from all the bomb chucking and battling.

"Oh-no." Jak gasped.  
"Nice try, but the Stone is still mine! Don't worry... I will use the Stone to its full potential. Soon, all who oppose me will be destroyed by its power!" And Praxis flew off on his mech, barely maintaining power as it is.  
"No…" Jak gasped, 'How DID he get here! He can't use the pendent, he doesn't have powers from the Precursor, how?"  
"Jak! We have to leave!" Daxter cried, "This entire place is crumbling!" Jak nodded, although reluctant for some odd reason, took his hoverboard, and flew off. He ran up the narrow way where he first came from. It seemed Praxis manage to blow up the way in. Jak entered the ruin doorway and was shocked.  
"Kid!" Jak cried, "WHERE IS HE?"  
"Same goes for ol' Green guy and Kor!" Daxter shouted, "Among others."  
"Where are they?" Jak cried, "HOW DID PRAXIS KNOW WE WERE HERE?"  
"Jak! Let's worry about that later, we gotta scram!" Daxter cried. Jak, once again, reluctant, left the tomb, the entire place caving in. The people in Haven City watched as the doorway to the tomb spewed out dust clouds. Jak manage to escape in the nick of town, with Daxter and Ani grabbing onto him. The three were covered in dusts and panting for air. The people from all over the city watched the trio. Jak slowly got up and saw the people eyeing him.

"What are you all looking at?" Jak cried, "Get out of my way!" He ran past the people before any Krimzon Guards could come over.  
"Jak, where are we going?" Daxter asked.  
"Back to headquarters!" Jak kept running. Daxter and Ani didn't see the hurt face Jak had on.  
"Jak…what do we do when we're there?" He asked.  
"I…I don't know."  
**To Be Continued…**


	21. ACT 3: Rescue

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits  
Chapter 21: Rescue**

_"How do you feel?"  
"Huh?"  
"I said how do you feel?"  
"….Old."  
I laughed, "You just turned 15, you cannot possibly feel old, especially compare to me."  
"I'm…15."  
"What is so wrong, my dearest boy?"  
"…I don't know."_

_He was lying on his back on his bed, eyes wide open._

_"I don't know what's wrong with me…I just…have a terribly different feeling inside me…I don't know why."  
"My dear nephew, you know you can tell me anything. Anything at all."  
"….Okay."  
"Do speak."  
"…I can hear voices."_

………………………

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 1: **Januria, Day 13 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

The walk home to the main headquarters was an uneasy route to take. Every step Jak felt himself walking on hot needles. His feelings for the small boy and his friends, all taken by the Baron, weigh heavily in his heart. Despite the hell he has suffered for the past two years, the people of the underground became his greatest friends. He didn't want to be alone and scared, like he was back in prison. He needed people. Jak and his animal cohorts made their way inside, hoping there were some members that weren't kidnapped by the Baron. Jak was happy to see most of the underground members were safe, yet their hearts looked broken. Perhaps they already got the news.

"Jak, you're safe!" came one of them, "I thought the Baron took you, too."  
"No, I'm okay but Kor and Samos…oh, the kid…Tess, they're all taken! Torn, too!" Jak cried.  
"Torn is fine, he's right back in here, back in his office actually." came a female member.  
"What, Torn's fine?" Jak gasped.  
"Yes, but because of him, we can't do this anymore." Another member spoke, "We can't rebel."  
"What do you mean?" Jak asked with great concern.  
"Ask Torn."

Jak groaned, and then went inside his office where Torn sat on the edge of a box, head down, covered by his face, obviously racked with guilt.  
"….Torn?" Jak softly asked, like a concerned mother. No response.  
"Torn?" Jak asked again, a bit harsher this time, "What happen? Please tell me what happen?" Torn refuse to speak. He still kept his face low, almost like he was embarrassed to even see Jak's face.  
"What happen? Where are the others, Where is the kid?" Jak's voice rose, "How did the Baron know we were making a close move to the Stone! HOW DID THE BARON GET IN THE TOMB OF MAR? HOW?"  
"………………It's my fault." Jak, Daxter, and Ani all stared at the older comrade; face still down, with shock and concern.  
"The Baron threatened to kill Ashelin for spying. His own daughter!" Torn answered, "I couldn't risk that, even for the Underground."  
"Right! Very good thinking... except Praxis has the Precursor Stone now, so he can do whatever he wants!" Daxter shouted, "Thanks for nothing!"  
"And he forced the kid to open the tomb or at least the best he could or he'd threaten to kill you and those he loved immediately, in front of him." Torn added.  
"You really care about her, don't you?" Jak asked, still thinking of Torn's comment on Ashelin. That made Torn lift his head up and stare at the younger precursian.  
"You two argue a lot, but you get along so well…I think it's just more then friendship I see in your eyes." Torn couldn't accomplish any idea of what to say back.  
"Does Baron Praxis know where the headquarters is?" Jak asked.  
"Yes." Torn responded, "Ashelin…I've know her since her last year in High School. I was still a low-leveled KG at that point. The two of us argued so much back then. We practically killed each other with our glares alone. We were young back then. We still argued from time to time, but our friendship is close."  
"When did you tell Praxis of our plans?" Daxter asked.  
"Recently." Torn answered, "He manage to catch me during one of my missions and told me of the plans involving the Precursor Stone, the whens and hows…if I didn't, Ashelin would die. He wasn't bluffing; he'd really kill his daughter."  
"Are you sure he wasn't lying?" Daxter asked.  
"No…he even beats up his own son." Torn sighed.  
"Son?" Both Jak and Daxter cried.  
"Praxis has a…son?" Daxter gasped, "How come we've never seen him?"  
"…Erol." Jak mumbled slowly.  
"What?" Daxter came.  
"Praxis' son is Erol." Jak eyed Daxter, "Remember when we were infiltrating Haven Palace? Praxis threatened to beat Erol."  
"…Erol…Praxis' son? Makes sense." Daxter shrugged.  
"Yea." Torn nodded, "He also told me to stop my rebellion or else…so I ordered the others the same."  
"Torn, you can't do that! You can't let Praxis win!" Jak cried, "What about the other underground members in other parts of the city!"  
"We really can't do much without Samos!" Torn shouted.  
"Torn, I know you care about Ashelin, but we have to save the others!" Jak cried, "I'm sick and tired of losing members and friends! I don't want to lose anymore! I don't! I can't afford to lose anyone anymore!"

A silence fell between the two precursians.

"Please, Torn…I know you know where they are. There is a way, right?"  
"There is…a way to get our friends back and maybe the Precursor Stone as well. I'll find Vin. Go to the fortress, and we'll call you. They're located in there." Torn sighed. Jak smiled.  
"Can you be trusted?" Daxter popped in, but Jak hushed him up.  
"It'll be a tough ride through the fortress, probably suicide."  
"Two years in that place, Torn…and several missions, I'm practically immune to that place." Jak kept smiling, "You just get that door open! I'll be there!" Torn let off a small grin.  
"Is Puar here? We could use her." Jak asked.  
"No, she's with the kid." Torn said.  
"Hmm…maybe it's for the best. At least in private, he'll have someone to talk to." Jak said, "I better go."  
And with that, Jak made his way, no further question. Daxter and Ani followed close by. Torn watched the three. Jak was different then anyone he has ever seen.

……………………

The fortress once again brought bad memories to Jak, but his determination to rescue his friends wouldn't stop him from fearing it. Inside, Jak made his way around. Being in here for years made him know all the locations by heart.  
"If I know my prison…then they'll be locked in the prison cells located in the lab room." Jak spoke as he ran, "…Problem is…there's five lab rooms…"  
"Oh, great." Daxter groaned. He groaned even louder when they reached the five doors to the lab room.  
"Okay, Ani, take one side, Daxter another, I'll try this one. Keep rotating till you find them!" And the three spread. They cried out for their friends' names. Cries for Tess, Samos, Kor, Kid.

"Tess? Tess? TESSSS?" Daxter cried.  
"Is Tess the only one you're calling?" Daxter spun his head to see Ani following him.  
"Hey, check your own prison cell!" He cried out.  
"I already did, so I'm going to the other side, I just happen to be coming in your direction, is all." Ani spoke. Daxter sighed.  
"I can't help it if I keep calling Tess, she remains me of this girl I had a crush on back home in Sandover." Daxter continued.  
"I see." Ani nodded.  
"She had the most softest golden blonde hair ever with big, blue eyes." Daxter spoke in a dream-like fashion, "She was taller then me, but I love tall women. She had legs that could reach the skies! And her voice… (sigh)…gosh, can she sing with that voice."  
"She sounds beautiful." Ani spoke in a rather sad voice, "…I've always wondered what it's like to be beautiful."  
"What? What are you saying? That you're not beautiful?" Daxter stared at Ani, rather in a disgusted tone that she'd call herself ugly.  
"Aww, come on, I have a big nose and this big tuff of brown hair that I can't even comb down." Ani spoke, "You really shouldn't say that to yourself." Daxter came in, "I mean, when I was a precursian, I had buck teeth and I was short for my age, so it's plain obvious the people teased me because of that, but I don't care about looks, I can be myself! I'm suave as far as I'm concerned."  
"I kind of wish I had your confidence." Ani smiled slightly.  
"I think you do, you just have to show it more." Daxter praised. The two remained silent as they walked together, "All that joke about me calling you ugly was just a joke, nothing more. Just to throw you off." Ani made a decent enough smile.  
"So…did she ever like you back?" Ani asked.  
"Nah, I asked her to the Fall Festival as my date and she rejected me in front of everyone." Daxter shook his head, "Most embarrassing moment of my life…and I've done some embarrassing things., but ya know, I hid it inside and pretended I didn't care"  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Ani sincerely spoke.  
"It's cool. I've liked her since I was a small kid…I wanted to impress her…I knew I wasn't going to impress her physically, so…I became a joker, someone to make people laugh. I made up tall tales, hoping I'd at least impress her."  
"So, that's how you came to be as of today, interesting." Ani smiled, "All for a girl, and yet you still got dumped. That's depressing."  
"Yea…But, I have someone who appreciates me for who I am…even if I do say some pretty tall tales to her." Daxter sheepishly smiled.  
"You know she's faking her amusement for them." Ani sighed.  
"Really?" Daxter gasped.  
"Eh, maybe. She can be gullible at times." Ani sighed.  
"Well, Tess is unlike any other." Daxter placed both his hands on his heart, "I think I'm in love!"  
"You think?" Ani asked.  
"Well…I don't know, maybe. I like her, more then all the other ladies I've seen in my life time." Daxter smiled sheepishly again, his voice speaking in a sincere tone. Ani laughed a little and Daxter proceeded to yell for, "Tess" again, expecting the same silence, except he didn't hear silence, he heard a voice.

"Daxter?"  
"TESS!" That's beautiful, angelic, harmony-filled is Tess' voice!" Daxter shouted, "Jak, I found them!"  
And soon, the young precursian ran to Daxter and Ani. Daxter pointed to Tess' voice who was yelling out Daxter's name.  
"Tess, hang in there, we'll get you out!" Jak, knowing his way around the prison found the switch to open all prison cells. Daxter made his way to Tess' the moment he saw that blonde hair shining beneath the giant wave of grays and greens in the prison cell.  
"Hey there sweetheart! The Metal Head masher has saved the day!" Daxter flashed his cheeky grin, "Oh, and I let Jak tag along too."  
"Oh, my little hero!" Tess immediately ran up and hugged the living daylights out of the ottsel.

Jak sighed and noticed Young Samos and Kor brushing himself off.  
"Samos, are you alright?" Jak asked.  
"What took you so long? I added six rings to my trunk waiting for you two to get me outta here!" Jak let out a small yelp as a familiar voice came from behind. It was Samos…the old one, the one Jak and Daxter knew back in Sandover.  
"What th-? Daxter cried.  
"Samos?" Jak squeaked. He didn't get much to say, he was too busy catching his breathe, not to mention old Samos interrupted.  
"Great Yakow horns! What happened to you Jak?" Samos came close to him, "You look like you've been through hell!"  
"Wait a minute! You're you! I mean the other you! I mean... you know what I mean." Daxter pointed to the two Samos, "What's happening?"  
"I'm confused, Daxter, what's going on?" Tess gasped.  
"Yes, it appears I have an older time twin." Young Samos came to his older counterpart, his contented face suddenly turned to disgust, "Great grass grubs. I can't believe what a cranky old log I've become!"  
"Do you really think this is important right now?" Kor interrupted.  
"Two Samos the Sages! Aaack, Jak, they're multiplying!" Daxter blatantly ignored Kor and raced behind Jak's legs.  
"We need to find the kid, pronto!" Old Samos quickly spoke.  
"What are you talking about, old growth? The kid already opened the tomb. Our top priority should be to disrupt the Baron's forces!" Young Samos confronted.  
"Oh, look who thinks they sprouted! If you were half as wise as I am, you'd know that the proper cause of action is to find the kid!"  
"Listen, you old dried up leaf. I run this outfit, and I say we go after the Baron's forces. "  
"Do we have to separate you two?" Daxter got in between the two.  
"WAIT!" Jak finally manage to speak, "You mean the kid isn't with you?"  
"…No." Both Samos said.  
"….Where is he?" Jak asked, fearing the worse.  
"The baron took him." Kor answered, "We were already in the prison cells as we watched him practically being dragged away. Puar's with him, safely inside his pocket."  
"He was taken to the palace." Tess continued, "Jak, I'm sorry."

Jak just about lost all his breathe this time as he got on his knees in shame.

"…I vow to protect him and…and the Baron took him." Jak muttered slowly, "…The Baron…he's going to do terrible things with him!"  
"Maybe he won't!" Daxter cried, "Maybe he'll be spared?" Failed attempt to make Jak feel better.  
"It is true; the Baron will not kill the child yet." Kor spoke "The child is the only one who can open the Precursor Stone. He'll try to persuade the child to open it."  
"…What if he refuses?" Jak asked.  
"I'm not too sure." Kor shrugged, then kneeled down, "But have faith, the child is more clever then you think, remember?"  
"Jak…" Old Samos kneeled down as well.  
"Yea…" Jak nodded, "He'll be fine…but I'm going to find him, I will!" Jak got up, he knew better then to lose faith on the boy and he knew better then to mope around. A low humming noise was now heard. Jak noticed the warp gate was now active.  
"Vin's activating the Warp Gate. We need to get out of here now!" Jak snap to. They all raced towards the warp gate and escaped back to the secret HQ.

…………………

Once inside, the other underground members were all too shocked at the older Samos to praise Jak's rescue mission. When they started making jokes of Old Samos on his age, he immediately used his magic and sent them flying a few feet, obviously pissed. The main heroes went inside Torn's officer where he, too was surprised at older Samos. Jak knew he had to tell Torn who he truly was and so he told. After about an hour of nonstop talking, Torn sat on his usual spot and stared at Jak as if he was a ghost in his eyes.

"You're…from the past…over 300 years…from the past." Torn gasped.  
"Yes." Jak nodded, "Hard to believe, but I come from the past."  
"And old Samos is…also from the past…but the younger one is in the…future…how?" Torn pointed to the two sages.  
"Obviously my younger half went into the past." Old Samos sighed, rolling his eyes.  
"But why would he do that?" Tess asked.  
"You'll see." Old Samos spoke, "It's not too good to speak of one's future."  
"So, the kid isn't with you." Torn came.  
"He's with the Baron." Jak muttered slowly. Torn eyed Jak who tried to avoid Torn's gaze. He came close to Jak and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"We'll get him back." Torn grinned, then went out to the main area and spoke to the other members.  
"I don't care WHAT Praxis said, I'm not going to stop rebelling or fighting for what's right!" Torn cried, "We'll save Ashelin, we'll save the kid, we'll save this city…we'll save the entire kingdom, damn it! I don't care! We'll save it all!" And out came the cheers of the members, happy to be back in the action.  
"I taught that boy well." Young Samos crossed his arms. Old Samos just sighed.  
"Well, where do I sleep?" he asked.

The night passed as Jak fluffed his pillow to go to bed. He grew worried for the child, but he knew he'd be alright. Jak crawled into his bed covers and stared at his half of the pendent. He held it tight, it felt warm.  
"Kid…you hang in there…I'll hang in there, too." Jak mumbled, tired. He kept the pendent tight in his hand as he slept.

…………………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 1: **Januria, Day 13 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Now, child…I'm asking you nicely…open the precursor stone and I won't have to skin you." Praxis forced a smile.  
"No, I rather not, Uncle Praxis." The kid shook his head. The two were in the child's room. The kid was more then happy to see his room again. He was happy to be back in the palace, yet he knew it wasn't quite home. It was empty and drab when Praxis took over. The familiar look and smell of home was no longer there.  
"DAMN IT, I keep ASKING you nicely!" Praxis shouted.  
"Then keep asking, I will still say "no!" The kid crossed his arms, "Now if you excuse me, it is pass my bedtime, I would like to sleep!" Praxis growled and left the child alone.  
"Why don't you just kill him?" Erol asked, who was watching from afar. Praxis stared at the skinny redhead.  
"My machine to crack open the precursor Stone isn't done yet, that Krew is a slow ass glutton who's probably stuffing his face right now!" Praxis sighed, "And unless it's fixed, there is no other method to open the stone other then asking the kid!"  
"Then persuade him!" Erol shouted.  
"Tried that." Praxis sighed, "He seems resilient at the moment."  
"He seems connected to Bannon." Erol had his arms crossed, "I've seen the two together at times."  
"I know, but that kid is like a roadrunner." Praxis sighed, "Difficult to catch." Erol sighed and tried to talk again.  
"Not another word, you can't afford anymore beatings." Praxis stared at his so-called son, "You should be training for the next race taking place in spring. Only got a couple of months left." Praxis left.  
"Yea." Erol nodded in disappointed, "But you don't even praise me for being the best except in public. You don't treat me like a son…no matter what I do for you. Yet…I still want to please you. Why do you always take Ashelin's side? Why my older sister?" Erol walked away.  
The child was eavesdropping all this, horrid of hearing that the stone would be cracked open of Krew's machine were to be complete. And Erol being beaten. The child knew Praxis ignored Erol often, but beating? The child sighed and stared at his pendent half. Then Puar leaped put of his pocket.  
"Times are getting desperate." The kid spoke to Puar.  
"All will be alright. In time, your majesty." Puar sincerely spoke, "Have faith." The kid nodded and starred out the window.  
"Stay strong, Jak." The kid whispered.  
**To Be Continued…**


	22. Beneath the Sewers

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…  
Chapter 22: Beneath the Sewers**

_I keep constant researches in my writings of my many adventures. Someday, I want precursians from hundreds of years now to look down at my writings. Jak usually made me tea at this point._

_"Ahh, thank you, my boy." I took a sip, "Mmm, right on the spot, you learn from the best." I pointed to myself.  
"I'm going to go upstairs and do my homework." And with that Jak left and Samos entered a few minutes later._

_"The boy is 15."  
"I'm aware of that." I sighed, not turning to face Samos. My face was still on my writings.  
"He's going to leave soon, you know. Come this spring." Samos softly spoke.  
"I'm aware of that." I gritted in annoyance.  
"You've connected too well with that boy." Samos sighed.  
"What did you expect me to do?" I asked, "I love the boy too much. I…I don't want him to leave."  
"You know he has to, he doesn't belong here." Samos sighed, "The Rift Rider will be made soon and come spring, Jak will leave to fulfill his destiny…afterwards, you must fulfill yours."  
"I don't want to lose him…I love the boy too much!" I stood up, "I already lost a son, now I have to lose Jak?"  
"I already warn you not to attach yourself to the boy so much!" Samos cried, "But you didn't heed my warning." I sighed, staring at Samos with anger, tears running down my face.  
"I love him…I love him too much…I…I don't want to give him up…those months till spring will come too fast…"  
"I'm sorry, but it can't be helped." Samos placed a hand on my shoulder, "It can't be." I nodded._

_That night, I went up to Jak's room and saw the boy already in bed, exhausted from all the homework he had. I stared from the doorway for a good amount of time before I went to my own room. I had an uneasy sleep. Months will pass so soon and I would have to say good-bye. Years have passed since I saved the boy from drowning when he fell from the sky and into the ocean, and now that boy has grown to be a young man. I would not be able to see him grow up to be an adult. I would not see him graduate his school. I would be able to see him get married and have children to call his own. I would not see him for the last time on my death bed once I grew old. I would not see him anymore after that few months when he leaves. I cried before I slept._

………………………

**Hip Hog Saloon**  
**Month 2: **Feburia, Day 9 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

With Puar no longer with Jak, the team had to settle for a normal COMP. Without Puar's unique emotion, the COMP was dull and boring. It made Jak miss Puar even more, which eventually led him to think of the kid.

Jak received a call from Krew, as par usual, and made his way. A few weeks has passed since the Tomb of Mar incident and the snow were starting to melt. Spring was starting to take over, but the weather was still chilly, so Jak kept wearing his thick overcoat and red matching scarf, and Daxter with his white scarf. Without the kid, Ani has permanently decided to tag along with Jak and Daxter. She trusted Jak as much as the child. Daxter was a bit reluctant for the crocadog tagging along, but Jak assured Daxter that Ani is greatly upset over the kidnapping off her master and best friend. She needed loved ones now.  
The hip hog saloon was largely the same as the last time Jak visited. It was relatively quiet with a lack of customer. Tess was there as usual, working her butt off cleaning the beer mugs and counter. Sig was on of the tables, calmly drinking beer. And Krew was floating high above, sleeping. No customers. A slow day indeed.

"Hey there sweet cheeks, how's life?" Daxter jumped to the counter to meet the tall blonde who once again, giggled at Daxter's amusement.  
"Slow." Tess replied, "Barely any customers."  
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're getting a little too into this job." Daxter mumbled.  
"My mother was a barmaid back in her days; I got my skills from her." Tess whispered, "A reason why Torn chose me to spy on Krew. Didn't I already tell you this before?"  
"Krew called me and fell asleep?" Jak asked, "That's a little rude."  
"He was tired of waiting for you, so he took a little nap." Tess answered.  
"Hey Tess, how's about some drink?" And Daxter continued to talk.

Jak left the two to talk. He went over to Sig with Ani. The taller man had his head hung low, cup on one hand.

"Hi, Sig…are you okay?" Jak asked. Sig sighed, drank a bit from his cup, then stare at Jak.  
"Yea." He made a soft mumble.  
"Care to finally tell us why you've been down?" Jak asked, sitting across from him, Ani on his lap.  
Sig gave a long, hard stare, one filled with mixed emotions, so it was hard to read.  
"This time, I'm not taking "no" for an answer." Jak grinned. Sig in return let off a hearty sigh and gave off a grin as well before commencing his more serious face.  
"You boys are alright, and since the boss is out of it right now, I'm going to give it to you straight." Sig started. Jak made a rather stunning face. Daxter notice this and came over to see what's up.  
"I've been Krew's heavy for years, and I've done things I'm not proud of, but this time, I think Krew's gotten himself and us, into something really nasty. I'm thinking of getting out." Jak remembered. The two talked about this before a couple of times, but this time, Sig sounded more serious then ever before.  
"Ohh... Sig's beginning to like us, Jak. Come here you bug lug! Hugs for everyone!" Daxter extended his arms.  
"Knock it off! I think Krew's trying to…" Suddenly grunts and snorts came and Krew woke up from his nap.  
"Shhh... he's waking up…" Sig gestured.  
"Relaaaax... watch me butter up bun boy." Daxter leaped off the table and went towards Krew who floated down, "Hey there, stuffed crust. How's it feel floating on top of the food chain? Whooooo... Krew meister... have you been exercising? You're looking good! You are... definitely... living large! And... those legs... they're so... ah, chiseled." Krew merely starred down at poor Daxter.  
"So, you wanted to talk to me?" Jak asked.  
"Ahh, yes. Years ago, when I was an art 'collector', I hit the local museum to, mmmm, 'borrow' a famous statue of Mar, the founder of Haven City. In his hands, the statue held the Ruby Key to the city, an artifact of surpassing beauty... and of course, priceless worth, 'ey!"  
"Oh! I just love art!" Daxter smiled. Ani rolled her eyes again.  
"While smuggling the huge statue through the Sewers, 'ey, a grueling rainstorm flooded the whole place. The statue and five of my best men were swept away!"  
"That's terrible." Jak said.  
"Yes, a tragic loss. I've missed that statue ever since! The Sewers have been so full of water and Metal Heads that I can't get anyone to go down there and retrieve the artifact." Krew eyed Jak, "But you're special Jak. You can do it!"  
"Jak? Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?" Daxter pointed to himself. Ani sighed.  
"Ohhh, don't I wish, mmmmmmmm!" Krew licked his lips and Daxter slowly backed away.  
"So we get the Ruby Key?" Jak asked.  
"Not so, and you're not going alone. I need you to escort three of my boys down into the sewers. I've heard that Mar's cheeky face might contain another secret, and I want you to see if the stories are true, ey? Make sure all three of my boys get to that statue, and they'll do all the rest, hmmmmn?"  
"So…where are they?" Jak asked, standing up.  
"They're already waiting for you in the sewers, now get movin' ey?" Krew started to fan his fan, despite the cool weather. Jak, Daxter, and Ani figured it'd be better not knowing why he's so darn hot.  
"Be careful and keep an eye out." Sig warned, then he placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Don't do anything you'll regret." Jak nodded. He left and using his new COMP informed Jak of the location to a door that leads to the sewer. Unfortunately, the COMP droned in a boring manner.  
"Common fixed position for workers of the Haven Sewer Department." Puar educated, "Water Level at 60 percent. Rainstorm percentage at 40."  
"Oh, geez, that makes me feel better." Daxter rolled his eyes. Jak mainly shrugged, he's been to the sewers before and water was practically land to him.  
The doorway was all the way back in the slums, so Jak took the tram to get there. Once inside the sewers, the smell was the first to kick in.

**Sewers**  
**Month 2: **Feburia, Day 9 (Winter Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"The sewers…why couldn't the statue have been located on a tall mountain? I think I'll actually TAKE nosebleed territory then Stink-O-Mania!" Why?" Daxter cried.  
"Just cover your nose with your scarf." Jak gestured as he covered his with his red headgear/scarf combo, "It'll reduce the smell." Daxter nodded.  
"You feeling okay?" Ani said softly to Daxter.  
"Probably not worse off as you seeing dogs have good smell and all." Daxter snickered. Ani let out a sounding growl.  
"I'll live."

"There you are!"

Jak and his cohorts turned to see three guys.

"What took you so long, pretty boy?" Jinx spoke in his squeaky high voice that would make Daxter proud. "Nice ta meet ya." Jinx crossed his arm, "Jinx is the name. The others are Grim and Mog."  
One was a blond man with a red bandana covering his bottom half of the face like Jak, green outfit and brown pants. Jinx. The one next to him was a man as skinny as Jinx, but with darker clothing and a Krimzon Guard helmet. Grim. The biggest was obviously the one named Mog.  
"Well, now that you're done starin', let's move on with this." and the three stared to walk.  
"Just follow us; we know our way around these sewers like it's our own backyard." Grim spoke in a much nicer manner then Jinx.  
"We better make this fast, I can't stand this smell!" Daxter gasped.  
"Daxter! You're suppose to be quiet!" Jak cried.  
"Eh, don't worry, Krew already warned us that you had a blabbermouth ottsel." Jinx came.  
"Blabbermouth?" Daxter cried, insulted. Jak hushed him before he had the chance to speak again.  
"What are all those on your back?" Jak asked.  
"Explosives, you need 'em in the sewers." Jinx shrugged, "Now stop asking questions and let's go."  
"Be careful, Jak, Metal Heads could be everywhere!" Mog's deep, slow voice came out.  
"Don't worry, I'm loaded." Jak took out his morph gun. Truth be told, Metal Heads seem to be pretty common here. Jak was mainly the ones keeping the three alive. The three only had a few guns with them and they were mainly pistols. Jak's was the only one that could clearly kill them with one hit. Jinx started to show quick signs of liking Jak.  
"Fat man Krew did a good job hiring pretty boy." Jinx smiled as Jak wiped out another platoon of Metal Heads, "Maybe when we're done with all this, we'll go for a nice tall beer, eh?"  
"Sounds good to me!" Daxter popped out.  
"I don't drink beer." Jak muttered. The three groaned.  
"Don't worry, there's lots of other fun stuff we can do." Mog smiled. Another horde of Metal Heads appeared and Jak shot them away.  
"Nice going there, pretty boy."  
"Jak's my hero!"  
"Shut up, Mog." The three headed down for the elevator.

"So, I notice your dog don't talk." Grim came as the elevator went down.  
"No, not that I'm aware of." Jak shook his head. Ani giggled a little. Daxter made a "What's so funny?" face towards her from high atop the shoulder he was on. As the elevator ended its lift down, the three warned them they'll be in water level and not exactly healthy, clean water. Jak stepped in the green munk and noticed trash and garbage everywhere. The smell was even more repulsive here.  
"Geez, these guys need to hear a thing called recycling." Grim sighed.  
"What's recycling?" Jak whispered to Daxter in hopes he'd knew.  
"Something about turning used objects to brand new." Daxter whispered back.  
"People can do that…wow…that never happened in Sandover."  
"What are you two yakking about?" Jinx stared at them.  
"Home." Jak answered.  
"Ahhh, I like home. I miss home." Mog sighed, "When I'm done with this mission, I wanna go home."  
"Shut up, Mog." Jinx ordered. Jak step in to defend Mog.  
"What's wrong with a home? It's got everything you need and then some." Jak shrugged, putting on an innocent face.  
"Look, there's no time to be cutesy wutesy in this mission." Jinx cried out, "You're a grown man, pretty boy, act like it."  
"I'm not that old…I'm 18." Jak spoke.  
"Well, you're legally an adult…and you don't drink!" Grim gasped, "I've been boozing it up since I was 15."  
"Does it matter what I do or don't do?" Jak shrugged.  
"Geez, Krew didn't mention this side of you." Jinx sighed.  
"Krew doesn't know a lot about me." Jak shook his head. He readjusted his red bandana a little.  
"What he doesn't know could fill up a house…and then some." Daxter muttered.  
"Ahh, a blocked entrance." Jinx pointed to some rubbles nearby, "Stand back, we're going to blow this sky high."

The three set some of their explosions down and told Jak and the others to back up. In seconds, a giant wave of fire burst through, making a way in.

"Whoa!" Daxter gasped, "Now THAT'S hot!" Silence, then some distant sound could be heard.  
"You hear that?" Jinx gasped.  
"Sounds like I got gas…" Mog giggled.  
"Not the explosion, something else…it's getting louder." Grim screamed as he stared at the ceiling. Metal Heads, they were everywhere, coming from every corner!  
"AGH! The ceiling's crawling!" Grim shrieked as he ran to his cohorts.  
"Jak! Metal Heads everywhere!" Jinx cried.  
"It's a trap!" Mog screamed. Jak took out his morph gun and proceeded to shoot them all. The three took out their small guns and tried to lead a hand as best as they could. Ani tried to scare them away by barking at them. Sometimes it worked. Daxter merely barked orders towards Jak.  
"Shoot that one…ooh, over there! Come on, move it, Jak! There's one! Behind you, Jak! Grim needs help! Stop that one! Shoot! SHOOT! AHH, Jak, we're done for! Ooh, there's one there! Here's one coming from the ceiling." Jak took in most of Daxter's words. It was surprisingly helpful.  
"AHH!" Jak heard Jinx's scream as a Metal Head was halfway on top of him, chewing his leg off. Jinx started to shoot in random directions, hoping it'll aim the beast with Grim and Mog shooting and horribly missing.  
"Get him off me, get him off me!" he cried. Jak dived in to the rescue and shot the creature dead. Mog and Grim tended to Jinx while Jak continued to shoot the rest.  
"Jak, we can't do this alone, we're surrounded!" Daxter cried. Jak sighed, placed the gun back on his holster, took Daxter down off his shoulder and walked towards the raging Metal Heads.  
"JAK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Daxter cried. Ani barked and pulled Daxter away.  
"Maybe he has a plan." Ani whispered.  
"MAYBE?" Daxter cried.  
"That boy is NUTS!" Jinx shouted. He tried to move, but his bleeding leg caused him to stop any further. Jak was now in the heart of the attack and the metal Heads surrounded him like prey.  
"I'm warning you, Metal Heads…leave us be or the consequences will be most devastating." Jak warned, "You won't like what I'll do." The Metal Heads came closer, obviously unaware of what Jak would do. What could one little precursian do to an army of Metal Heads?  
"Please make this work." Jak whispered, clutching the pendent he had stuffed inside his scarf so that it was hidden.  
"JAAAAAAAAAAAK!" He could hear Daxter's voice drowning as Jak suddenly felt a massive wave of power. The wave of violet rushed into him, his face once again turning pale, claws coming out of his hands, fangs from his teeth, and horns from his head. Jak let out a sounding growl and as the trio, plus Daxter, Ani, and Puar watched, Dark Jak revealed himself once more.

Before anything happen, before anyone could blink, Dark Jak leaped around in endless bounds, destroying one Metal Head at a time. Each swipes from his claw ended with the Metal Heads dead in his wake. The blasts of lightning and dark magic shot through like a spark of lightning. The creatures were too slow to react to Dark Jak as he clawed, bit, and swiped at his victims. With many a pile of dead Metal Heads now disintegrating, the rest of the surviving one moved out quickly. Dark Jak let out a sounding growl and stared at his allies. He came close, all of them trembling in fear, fear that Dark Jak would kill them, too, but the first thing Dark Jak said was, "Are you alright?"

"Jak?" Daxter whispered.  
"It's okay…I think…no…I know I can control my dark powers now." Dark Jak smiled, then slowly, he changed back to normal regular Jak, still retaining that smile through. Everyone was stunned for a good few minutes. Jak then noticed Jinx's bleeding leg which was wrapped rather badly with one of Grim's shirts.  
"Doesn't anyone of you three know first aid?" Jak asked. The three shook their head, all the while slowly staring at him. Jak sighed and took out some first aid.  
"That's one of the basics you should learn when going on dangerous missions where you could get hurt." Jak then started to bandage Jinx's legs, although he winched when Jak came near. Everyone kept starring at him, their eyes still wide.  
"…Maybe we should take a lunch break." Jak sheepishly laughed. And so they ate, but they ate rather quickly, as the sewer's smell was getting to them. As they did, Jak told them about his abilities and how he can now control them.  
"Well, I gots to say, I'm mighty impressed." Jinx gasped, "Didn't think Dark Eco could do all that."  
"Yea…" Jak spook quietly, "I doubt this power will go away, so I guess I should learn to control it and use it for good purposes…or something."  
"You should be a superhero." Mog smiled, "Then again, you did impact the city a lot because of you, I guess you really are a superhero!" Jak smiled a little and ate his meal. Then the team moved on further. Each men took turns carrying Jinx who mostly had to hop on one foot or be carried by Mog. Jak soon started to think these three weren't so bad, even if they did work for Krew. Jinx immediately started to warm up more to Jak and they all chatted of good things until they saw the statue.

"Whoa." Daxter gasped, "Is that it? The statue of Mar?"  
"That's it!" Jinx grinned. Jak gasped and came closer. He slowly extended his hand and touched the cold statue.  
"Jak, you okay?" Daxter asked.  
"….I'm fine." Jak shook his head, then clearing his throat, "It's just…nothing."  
"Well, might as well get the Ruby Key." Daxter started to climb up.  
"Mighty impressive, little guy." Jinx smiled. Daxter grinned and started to pull the key out. It was straining, but he managed to get it out, only to have it slip from his hands and fall. Jak quickly swiped it up in time and sighed.  
"Where would you be without me, Daxter?" Jak grinned.  
"Well, I wouldn't be two feet tall and not wearing any pants…I miss pants." Daxter sighed and leaped down to Jak's shoulder. Daxter gave the Ruby Key to Grim who held onto it.  
"Oooo... It's a pretty statue...from here." Mog smiled.  
"Okay, stand back. We're professionals." Jak, Daxter, and Ani curiously watched as the four took down the rest of the explosives and placed them near the statue.  
"Alright boys, let's blow this sucker sky high!" Once he heard that statement, Jak's attention was fully on the statue.  
"Wait! Who told you to--NO!" Too late. The statue blew up and Jak was thrown away from its explosion where he was slammed into a wall. The statue was nothing but rumbles. The head of Mar rolled near Jak.  
"That's what inside, the Heart of Mar gem!" Jinx picked up the red gem which was surrounded by a platform of some sort. While Mog and Grim were chatting about the two items they had, Jak eyed the head of Mar and stared deeply into it with great sadness.  
"Thanks for the escort, buddy. We'll take it back to Krew!" Jak saw the three leave him and his sad face now turned into anger. How dare they do such a thing like this? A priceless statue. Jak eyed the statue's head for so long. But why? Why did he care for a simple statue? Mar's image was everywhere? Why?  
**To Be Continued…**


	23. Of Girls and Destinies

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…  
Chapter 23: Of Girls and Destinies…**

_"Ewww, get away from me!" a girl shoo-ed Daxter away. Daxter made a cheeky smile.  
"Well, another rejection." Daxter proudly cried out. It's like he was proud of getting dumped by girls whenever he tried to ask them out. He walked over to Jak and Kiera who were having a small chat. _

_"Kiera…I always wondered…if I ever changed…would you view me any differently?"  
"Jak, why do you ask?" Kiera asked.  
"Just a hunch, I suppose." Jak muttered.  
"Jak, no matter who you are, what you do, you're still Jak and I'll always be there for you." Kiera answered, "I'll always be your friend."  
"Are you sure?" Jak stood up, "Don't make promises you can't keep."  
"What makes you think I'm not honest!" Kiera scoffed.  
"I'm sorry…I've been feeling…different lately."  
"I don't care how different you turn, you're still Jak." Kiera said, "If I don't like it, we'll always think of someway to get through it, but I doubt it. No matter how changed you get, our friendship is tight…a promise…" Jak smiled warmly.  
"Now, I gotta go home." Kiera stood up as well, "Bye!"  
"See ya!" Jak and Kiera both waved. He watched her leave and saw Daxter coming. He was aware of Daxter's problems with girls.  
"Daxter, why do you enjoy girls dumping you every so often? What's so prideful of that?" Jak asked.  
"Well, I guess it's all a matter of irony." Daxter answered, "I get dump to help raise confidence in my abilities, my abilities to joke and use witty sarcasm to help me get through life."  
"That's not a good thing; you're not being honest to yourself." Jak shook his head.  
"Hey, it's how I deal with life." Daxter pointed to himself, "The only time I'll be serious is…I don't know…if something dramatic happens I suppose."  
"Maybe something dramatic will…like, maybe one day, I'll do something SO stupid that you'll yell at me because of what I did and even run away." Jak stated, "That even if you did scream at me, you were being honest on your feelings…what true friends do."  
"You saying I'm lying to you now?" Daxter cried out.  
"No." Jak shook his head, "I meant you're not being honest yourself. If I did do something stupid, you'll be honest towards your feelings, towards who you are."  
"Okay 1.) I'm confused and 2.) What makes you think I'll go all honest when you do something stupid? What makes you think I'll yell at ya?"  
"If you were a true friend, we'd make sure we'd never do anything to hurt each other and ourselves." Jak softly spoke.  
"That's true." Daxter nodded, "Hey, did you hear, Kiera actually started calling Samos "dad."  
"Really, she never told me when we were chatting a few minutes ago?"  
"Yea, apparently, ever since the incident on the stage two years ago, the two have grown tighter."  
"That's wonderful. I've been noticing their affections for each other. Ahh…father and daughter."  
"Yea, but my relationship with my father isn't so tight. He expects me to be some macho man. It's a reason why I get along with my mom better, but they're cool all the same."  
"I wish I knew what it's like to have parents, adopted or biological." Jak stared at the clouds, "You think that's where my parents are?"  
"The sky?" Daxter, too stared.  
"The place where we go when we die." Jak answered, "I would imagine so. I always thought they were good parents."  
"I'm not surprised…most kids who has no parents think that way." Daxter shrugged, "Hey, the Spring Festival is coming in a few months; you have anybody you going to ask out?"  
"Kiera and I agree to go together."  
"Ooooh, I get it…"  
"No, Daxter, we're going as friends."  
"Yea, right! This was Kiera's idea to ask you to go with her, right?"  
"Ummm…yea."  
"She has a thing for you, Jak."  
"No, she doesn't. We're just friends."  
"Suuuuuuuuuure."  
"Daxter, cut it out."  
"You're blushing."  
"N-no, I'm not!"  
"Now you're stuttering."  
"Well, you're embarrassing me, that's why." Daxter laughed. Jak started to cover his face.  
"Jak, a hot girl is gunning for you, take advantage of that."  
"But I like Kiera as a friend. Granted, I admit I had a crush on her before."  
"Crush!" Daxter sat down on a rock, "I remember a certain 10 year old boy who was curious about kisses and Kiera happily volunteer to give you a small one…and you liked it."  
"I…I…" As much as Jak wanted to raise his defense, all those experiences from debate class went bunk when it came to the subject of love.  
"I've seen you two date before and kiss before." Daxter crossed his arms, "Don't tell me it was just nothing!"  
"Okay…I admit she's really nice and pretty…and smart." Jak sighed, "And I admit, when it comes to Kiera, our relationship has been on and off, but it's never been too serious that I consider her my girlfriend, Daxter."  
"Really? Everyone in school thinks you two will marry!" Daxter laughed.  
"WHAT? They do?" Jak's entire face grew red, "Oh, man…" Daxter laughed again.  
"So just admit your undying love for her, Jak." Daxter smiled.  
"But I don't know if I do love her." Jak sighed, "I've never really given romance and love a serious thought in my head."  
"Well, it's the ball, a romantic thing…maybe she'll tell you." Daxter came to, "Then you'll know."  
"I'm really uncomfortable talking about this, can we stop this?"  
"Fine…baby."_

_The two walked home._

………………

_The same day, Jak told me of all this and I merely said that love is complicated and that he's on his own. Oh, the boy is growing up. I talked with Samos over this when he came for tea._

_"Oh, Kiera is having pretty much the same experience." Samos spoke, "Problem is, I think she really is in love with Jak."  
"That will cause a problem since Jak doesn't know." I replied.  
"She can't fall in love with Jak." Samos came, "Kiera belongs in Sandover…Jak doesn't…"  
"Samos." I whispered.  
"I have to return to the future; too…I must ask you a favor before I do go." Samos placed his cup down.  
"What is it?"  
"I want you to take care of Kiera…I have to say…I've…I've grown attach to her."  
"And you accuse me of growing attach to Jak?"  
"Yes, but I know I have to let go of Kiera, you, however, refuse to let go of Jak." Samos stood up, "Both Jak and I must leave. The boy is strong now, both physically and mentally and while he daydreams more then listen to me, Jak is ready to return to his rightful place."_

_I remained silent. _

_"I will miss Kiera and I wish I hadn't adopted her, but it can't be helped. Jak must leave her. He must leave this village." Samos spoke, "Jak must fulfill his destiny. He does not belong in a small village…you know who he truly is. The responsibilities he must uphold, the people he must help."  
"What if Jak chooses not to be any of these? What then?"  
"Then may Precursors have mercy on their souls."_

_Again, I was silent. _

_"The Kingdom of Haven calls for him."  
"Shouldn't we tell Jak?" I asked.  
"If we do tell him, he'll be devastated. We made him strong physically and mentally, but emotionally, the boy still needs work."  
"Then why send him away when we can't balance his emotions yet?"  
"I cannot keep him here any longer, he's grown too attach to this place…I can't afford him staying any longer.  
"One day, Jak will be angry at what you did!" I cried, "He'll yell at you one day on what you have done to him!"  
"So be it."_

……………………

**Mar Memorial Stadium**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 2 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Time?"  
"Wow…5 minutes and 38 seconds, not bad!" Kiera eyed her stopwatch, "But we need to get it under three minutes."  
"Oh, geez." Jak sighed. The snow had all thawed out and warmer temperature took place. The big annual race held every spring was coming up in about a week's time and Jak spent most of it training. During this point, racers around Mar's Memorial Stadium were plenty. They wanted to prove their chances in a race and ultimately beat the champion, Erol.  
"Erol's won the past five races!" Daxter gasped, "Not to mention some of the smaller celebrated races. He's also in the _Haven's Kingdom Record _bookfor fastest racer in Haven's annual race for racing for 3 minutes and 45 seconds! ALL three laps, we're talking." Ani was reading over his shoulder. Jak has been in multiple small races during his free time and it was quite known to other racers that he might be the one to ultimately beat Erol. Jak showed the most promise.  
"How can one race so fast?" Jak asked, "Does his engine have some speed modifier?"  
"Erol would never cheat on a race, Jak." Kiera had her arms crossed, "He's passionate about racing. Not to mention I've checked his vehicle so many times, I practically memorized the entire thing, engine to engine."  
"I think you've been around Erol for too long." Jak sighed.  
"Hey, don't tell me who I should be with." Kiera scoffed.  
"Okay, break it up, you two." Daxter came in between.

"Am I interrupting anything?" A voice came out of nowhere. The heroes turned around to face Erol.  
"Oh, hello, Erol." Kiera spoke, "Came to pick up your zoomer? Just give me another day, I need to do some extra work on the engine, then you can have it back." Erol came close and with his eyes half closed and half smiling, gave Kiera some flowers.  
"Spring is approaching and the flowers are growing." Erol spoke softly.  
"Oh, that's so sweet, Erol." Kiera smiled, taking the flowers, "I'll be right back." Because her home was on top of her workshop, she headed upstairs to place them in a random vase. After she left, Erol's sweet face turned venomous.

"Well, if it isn't the Dark Eco freak!"  
"Erol." Jak was less them sympathetic in his tone of voice towards him as well.  
"Well…I'm sure you already know you're the talk of the town, Jak! You give the people hope... how  
pathetic. I would have enjoyed killing you in prison, but now, it'll be so much more fun to take you on the track, in front of the entire city. I can hear the roar of the crowd now... as everyone sees their hope die…"  
"Oooh, bravo, let me have that in writing." Jak clapped his hands, "I'll be sure to frame it and hang it on my wall."

"Uhh…hello?" Jak and Erol turned to see two figures: Ashelin and Old Samos.  
"Am I missing anything?" Samos asked, "Jak, you promise to take me to Kiera."  
"Samos?" Erol gasped, "Since when did you get THAT old?"  
"OKAY! OKAY! I'M OLD! I GET IT! EVERYONE STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!" Samos cried, having had to deal with this from the Underground members for weeks on end. Erol stared at Jak who shrugged.  
"Okay, I'm back and…DADDY!" Kiera gasped.  
"KIERA!" Old Samos cried. The two were in loving embrace as they both shed a tear.  
"Oh, daddy, it's you! It's you!" Kiera cried, "I thought I'd never see you again! It's good to have you back daddy."  
"Yes, it's nice to be free again." Erol seemingly ignored all this and paid attention to Jak.  
"You know, Keira LOVES a winner. Someday she'll be MY mechanic."  
"Stay away from her!" Jak warned.  
"Heee, hee, haa, haaa!" Erol started to walk away, then he eyed Ashelin with disgust, "…I hope you enjoy your moment in the Baron's spotlight…" He left. Kiera notice him walk off and sighed with a smile.

"Today's definitely a good day for me: my daddy returning, friends…and Erol…Ah, Erol's the best racer I've ever seen."  
"He's not what you think." Jak tried to convince her for the millionth time.  
"And you're a good judge of character! HA!" Kiera rolled her eyes, "Look at you! People say you get angry and... change. Besides, the Jak I knew wouldn't be working for a guy like Krew."  
"I need Krew's connections to fight the Baron!" Jak defended himself, "Why do you have to gang up on me just because I changed?"  
"Okay, kids, that's enough!" Old Samos stepped in.  
"Hmm, okay, I've been silent here for a long time." Ashelin stepped in. Jak noticed Ashelin and sighed.  
"Hey." Jak waved.  
"Hey yourself, I watched you race today. You were pretty amazing out there." Ashelin smiled.  
"Oh, thanks... ah, Keira, ah this is Ashelin. She's just…" Jak started to introduce.  
"Everyone knows who she is." Kiera crossed her arms, "It's not like I'm not well informed!"  
"And Keira's a…" Jak ignored her and continued.  
"A friend. A very _good_ friend." Kiera still had he arms crossed, face glared.  
"You sure don't sound like it." Jak mumbled.  
"You complain I'm sarcastic, look at you!" Kiera cried out.  
"What ever happen to being friends no matter how much I changed?" Jak burst, seemingly out of nowhere.  
"What?" Kiera gasped.  
"You forgot it, didn't you?" Jak shouted, "Some friend you are!"  
"How can I remember EVERYTHING we speak of?" Kiera cried, "You expect me to remember the last time we chat?"  
"ARGH! BLOODY HELL! You know what? FINE! JUST FINE! YOU do things your way, and I'll do things MY way. Just don't come crying to me when the walls fall down." Jak groaned in frustration and walked off.  
"Uh…Jak…JAK!" Daxter cried. Ani whined a little. Ashelin lowered herself down and petted the little dog who no longer seem to growl at every person except for Jak and the Kid.

"He's so difficult!" Kiera groaned.  
"Was he like this in Sandover?" Ashelin asked.  
"Wait, how did you know we're from-" Daxter started.  
"Torn told me…he wasn't going to, but the fact that everyone in the Underground couldn't hide two Samoses very well, it was only naturally I demand to know what was going on…so…from the past, eh?"  
"300 or so years ago." Kiera sighed as she sat on a steel stool, "Back then, Jak was a kind, gentle boy. What the heck happen?"  
"What are you talking about?" Ashelin asked, "Sure, the kid has a bit of an attitude problem here and there, but he seems like a nice guy to me."  
"You don't know him as well as I do." Kiera mumbled.  
"So, Erol seem to know Samos, what's up with that?" Daxter asked.  
"I admit, I'm from the future." Old Samos spoke, "I came to the past for a reason that I cannot explain just yet. I used to work for the royal family. In fact, I was Ashelin and Erol's mentor as well as the kid."  
"Interesting." Daxter nodded.  
"You're from the future?" Kiera gasped.  
"Yes…I'm sorry I never told you…I didn't think you'd believe me back in Sandover."  
"And apparently, his older self has a daughter." Ashelin eyed her.  
"I was adopted." Kiera made a note.  
"I see." Ashelin nodded, "I'm sorry if you feel threatened by me."  
"Well, I'm not…it's just…so much is going on in my head…good and bad." Kiera admitted, "Now I just found out my father is really from the future…I don't know what to make out of all this."  
"Kiera…you didn't have to come to the future. In fact, I've told you the day before we left to stay home. Sandover was your home…it always will be."  
"I know…but I couldn't leave my friends and you behind. My home is where my friends…and family are." Kiera spoke, then she shook her head, "…This is all too much, but I know I can handle this. I'm just upset over Jak's change. Perhaps I just need to accept it."  
"Jak's not as bad as you think, Kiera." Daxter popped in, "Angry here and there, but he's actually gotten better and considering what he's been through, that's saying something."  
"Yea…I know." Kiera softly spoke, then she eyed Ashelin, "So, why are you here, don't you have Krimzon Guards to order around?"  
"I…needed to get away from my father." Ashelin sat down.  
"The baron…" Daxter muttered.  
"He has the kid and I'm just…powerless to stop him." Ashelin spoke, "I'd free the child, but he's been eyeing me like a hawk…I can't even stay here long or he'll send in my own guards to take me back…my _own_ guards."  
"This is upsetting." Kiera sighed, "Haven City is a depressing city."  
"It wasn't always like this." Ashelin sighed.  
"I guess we all have a lot to talk off." Kiera stated.  
"Well, you guys can keep talking, I better find Jak." Daxter leaped off the table he was on, "I'll be seeing you ladies…and old stump later." Ani barked and followed.

They watched the trio leave before sitting down and chatting.

"So…Ashelin…Erol's brother…he talk about you a lot…although, not in a optimistic way…you don't sound as bad as he put it." Kiera placed a hand on her back.  
"My brother and I have had a strained relationship as the years passed by…it's a sad story." Ashelin sighed.  
"I have all day."

…………………

"How could she forget?" Jak muttered, "She promised…but she forgot. She's been too busy with Erol and insulting me." Jak was sitting on the edge of a giant water fountain which held a statue of Mar in the middle. Silence as he watched numerous people walk off. Jak then stared at his own reflection in the water.  
"…..But I did change…I can't blame her, I don't expect her to remember!" Jak sighed, "These things happen! I forget lots of things, too! And I did change dramatically…she has every right to be angry…I've been on the wrong side of the law." Jak groaned, "I'm so frustrated and confused…and I'm talking to myself…AGAIN! This is perfect." Jak buried his head on the fountain walls as half his body was lying down, the bottom half still sitting on the fountain.  
"JAK!" Jak stood up to see Daxter and Ani running towards him. Jak eyed them, but didn't answer back.  
"Sheesh!" Daxter leaped to the fountain edge, "How long are you two going to keep fighting?"  
"Until she realizes what I've been through." Jak muttered.  
"Well, have you ever thought of how she's been through?" Daxter asked, "I mean, I know she's safer then you, living a more honest life then you do, but she's been alone for a long time."  
"She has Erol!" Jak crossed his arms, mocking Erol's name in a sarcastic manner.  
"She doesn't have her old friends…she hasn't met me, you, and her pops in years." Daxter continued, "I know you haven't met us in two years either, alone as well. Kiera must feel the same way." Jak still had his arms crossed, "It's just…so…frustrating!"  
"I think it's frustrating for her, too." Daxter commented. Jak sighed.  
"...Perhaps." Jak muttered, "Okay, I'll go talk with her again."  
"That's the spirit!" Daxter leaped, "Now let's go back to her!"

"You have a phone call." The COMP spoke. Jak and the others saw it was Old Samos.

"Goodness, I just got a call from my younger self and I remember why I came to the garage…well, other then to see Kiera." Old Samos spoke.  
"What is it?" Jak asked.  
"I want you boys to go to Sandover and inside my hut." Old Samos commanded, "In there is the Life Seed, I want you to take it and bring it to my older half who's in Haven Forest, underneath the Giant Haven Tree."  
"Life seed…now?" Jak asked.  
"YES, NOW!" Old Samos cried, "NOW MOVE IT!" And the phone was shut off.  
"I'm beginning to have doubts of having old Samos back." Daxter mumbled.  
"Come on, let's get this over with." Jak gestured.

…………………

The climb to Samos' hut proved difficult as there were no longer wooden bridges and ramps to simply walk across. Everything was climbing and precise jumping. It got even more frustrating when they searched everywhere in Samos' hut for the Life Seed.

"I spent many a day cleaning up this place for old greenie." Daxter sighed.  
"How hard can it be to find one seed?" Ani asked Daxter.  
"Huh…oh, well, it's a seed, so I assume it'll be small…and considering Samos' hut was the largest out of all Sandover village huts, this search is like finding a needle in a haystack." Daxter answered, "Hey, you have a good nose, sniff the seed out."  
"I can't sniff something I've never smelled before, Daxter!" Ani spoke.  
"Hey, it's a seed, it's nature, it should smell like a tree, you know what trees smells like, I'm sure you peed in a few as well." Daxter cried out.  
"Hardy Har Har." Ani mumbled.  
"Any luck?" Jak asked.  
"No." Daxter shook his head, "Why couldn't it have been something bigger like a…Life Umbrella or Life Yakow Meat or Life…uhh…Life trophy or maybe a life…"  
As Daxter dragged on and on, Jak eyed a glowing pyrefly…another one. Daxter, and Ani had their backs turned to Jak, so they didn't notice the little pyrefly of pure white floating around Jak's head. It moved around and up in another part of the room Jak failed to notice as a huge batch of wooden planks were blocking the door. Jak immediately tear them apart and when inside the almost dark room. Almost dark—almost--because something in the middle was glowing green.  
"Jak?" Daxter gasped. He followed behind as well as the others. Upon seeing the glowing middle, Daxter shrieked.  
"AHH!" Daxter crawled inside Jak's bag, "WHAT IS THAT?" Jak came close and touched the green glow.  
"The Life Seed." Jak whispered. He went out of the room and got a good look, a skinny corn-shaped seed, and glowing neon green. It was beautiful and felt warm on Jak's hands. The small pyrefly flew pass Jak and disappeared by passing through a wall.  
"Whoa…" Daxter gasped.  
"I know…" Jak whispered, "I felt familiar around that pyrefly…any who, we better call Samos." And Jak started to dial the number on the COMP.  
"Hello, oh, Jak did you get it?" Old Samos asked. Jak showed the Life Seed before the holographic image of Old Samos.  
"Good work, Jak! And... Daxter, I suppose." Old Samos spoke with Daxter in a less then happy mood, "Before we came through the rift long ago, I was nurturing that Life Seed from the Great Tree. It seems the Metal Heads are attracted to its power. Take the seed to Onin now. She will prepare it for Samos."  
"You mean you?" Daxter asked.  
"No, the other me, Daxter? My younger self needs the seed's power to become... Sagely." Old Samos admitted.  
"So... let me get this straight. It's fair to say that by bringing your younger self the life seed now, we helped you become the sage you are today?" Daxter cried out.  
"Quite a revelation." Jak mumbled.  
"We helped you get your powers in the first place. And you never thanked us!" Daxter raised his voice.  
"Thank you Daxter... now go do it!" Old Samos cried, Puar getting close when his annoyance level reached the top again. Jak took a deep sigh and went over to Onin's hut. It wasn't the first time he traveled to different places in one day. Jak liked seeing many places, but he wanted to see more then Haven City and the surrounding areas. Maybe someday he will.

…………………

Inside Onin's hut was an angry Pecker.  
"Onin says what took you so long! We had to skip lunch waiting for you two!" Pecker practically shoved his face towards Jak who arched back a bit as a result, "Okay... okay... She really says "Thank you for saving the Life Seed". But I wouldn't say that if I were her!" Jak sighed again and gave the seed to Onin which floated gently near her. She started to use her magic to prepare the seed. The heroes watched.  
"Mmmmmm... bird seed…" Pecker was in a slight trance.  
"Back off, feather weight!" Daxter cried.  
"Listen tiny tail, I was leading my hundredth flock south before you had fur one between your legs! Not that your fur means anything!" Pecker screeched.  
"At least I'm not some stuffed, over yappin', feather dusty mouthpiece for the world's oldest professional!" Daxter countered. Jak groaned. Ani tried barking to settle the two.  
"Jak says, 'have a nice day.' Jak says, 'I can't think on my own.' Jak says 'Go bite yourself!" Jak felt slightly offended on what he was doing.  
"That's it, rat boy! Now you've really pissed me off!" Pecker pointed. The two now made martial arts move to knock each other out. Ani barked harsher, but nothing.  
"Hiyaaaaoooowww!"  
"Knock it off, both of you!" Jak shouted.  
"You're lucky I'm famished!" Pecker muttered. Jak eyed Onin again.  
"Honestly, you two are some of the most immature beings when together!" Ani whispered so Jak wouldn't hear, "I'd swear I think you two need the leash, not me!"  
"WHOA!" Pecker cried.  
"Shh, Pecker, Onin's trying to concentrate." Jak muttered, obviously ignoring the animals argue.  
"You can talk…you're a girl?" Pecker whispered loudly.  
"Yes." Ani sighed, "I just don't talk in front of precursians for safety reasons…so, don't blabbermouth it."  
"This puts a whole new look on life." Pecker scratched his head.  
"Hey, I said that when she talked to me...sorta." Daxter glared at the Monkaw, Pecker doubling the glare by adding his own.  
"Knock it off!" Ani ordered, in loud whispers.  
"Sorry, babe…I humbly apologize." Pecker spoke like a gentleman, "I shouldn't have acted this way, please forgive me." Pecker made a dashing smile as he took a feathered wing and held one of Ani's front paws, kissing it. Daxter stared at Pecker in disgust. Automatically, he was trying to flirt with her…or he was trying to manipulate her to take his side against Daxter. Pecker noticed Onin though, so the answer would have to come later.  
"Onin says take the energized Life Seed to young Samos in Haven Forest. It will give Samos the power he needs to finally see the forest from the trees! Go. Quickly!" Pecker gestured, "Oh…and my dear Ani…if you ever want a free paw reading…I'll be sure to give you one."  
"Uhh...thanks." Ani sheepishly chucked before leaving to catch up with the others.  
Onin made a gesture to Pecker.  
"Oh, I am not flirting with her!" Pecker cried out, "I am NOT a womanizer…the last girl I dated was about 50 years ago, geez!"

**Haven Forest**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 2 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

The Giant Haven Tree was the biggest tree in Haven city. Mar was said to name this tree when he first saw it, saying the tree was special and gave out raw energy and magic to nature. There, the heroes found young Samos relaxing, enjoying the nature.

"Samos!" Jak waved.  
"Oh, hello, Jak!" Young Samos waved back. The heroes ran towards him, "Ahh, what a lovely day, eh?"  
"Yea…well…umm…Samos told me to... I mean... you told me to... or... well... I mean your older version... ah... Whatever." Jak shook his head, "We heard you needed the Life Seed." Jak threw the seed which merely and gently "flew" to Young Samos.  
"Yes. Its power will help me speak to the plants." Young Samos held the seed and sat back down near the giant tree, "I must ask the plants vital questions about our future."  
"What kind of future?" Jak asked.  
"….Many things." Young Samos spoke, "Right now, it's only the current events I'm worried about." Young Samos spread his arms out, closed his eyes, and with the seed floating inches above him, he, too floated a bit above ground. Green light surrounded him. Jak, Daxter, and Ani watched in amazement and some bit of confusion.

The vision Young Samos had was quiet…gentle…soft…like an infant being cradled by his or her mother, then suddenly, images pop out of nowhere! It moved in lightening speed motion! Images moved forward in his head like someone surfing the channel in super fast forward motion. Some he could make out, some he couldn't. Some images stopped and slowed down for Young Samos to see, others passed by him in a brisk. All the while, he kept hearing voices in his head…voices telling him of certain impending doom and destruction. Young Samos had his eyes tightly shut, sweat pouring down his green skin, all before he gasped and fell down.

"SAMOS!" Jak gasped as he ran to help the old man onto his feet, "Are you okay, what happen?"  
"………..The Life Seed gave me a terrible vision! The Baron is planning to destroy the Precursor Stone! He aims to crack it open somehow!" Young Samos gasped, "If he does this, the energy released will be beyond comprehension! It will destroy the world and more... ending all life!"  
"WHAT?" Daxter shrieked while Ani left out a gasp, "I DON'T WANT THE WORLD TO END! I STILL HAVE TO USE THOSE PIZZA COUPONS!"  
"No." Jak whispered in shock, his eyes wide and concerned.  
"The plants are crying out for protection! You must stop the Baron, Jak! Stop him, however you can!"  
"Samos…take it easy…relax." Jak gestured, and then placed a hand on the old man's arm, "I'll take care of all this…no body's going to die."  
"Well, you can't be sure of that, Jak." Daxter said, "I mean, technically, a person could be dying now and--"  
"Nobody's going to die." Jak sternly spoke, though his voice still was shaken.

**Mar Memorial Stadium**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 9 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Winning the race seemed the only way Jak could enter the palace. Jak, Daxter, Ani, and Samos were all gathered around Kiera's workshop where they were preparing Jak for the race and waiting for Kiera who said she had something important to reveal.

"Oh, Kiera, you said you wanted to show us something?" Old Samos asked.  
" Oh, yea…here, I'll show you guys what I'm working on, if you promise not to laugh." Kiera spoke.  
"Ooooo, I love surprises! And I love to laugh! Show me! Show me!" Daxter leaped up and down like a kid in a candy store. Kiera rolled her eyes and finally opened the green curtain she always kept closed.  
"Ta-Da! I've been building a replica of our crashed Rift Rider machine from old artifacts." Kiera showed the heroes, "We can use it to get back home!"  
"That's my girl!"  
"But I'm still missing two pieces." Kiera pointed out.  
"Figures…" Old Samos lowered his head. Kiera walked over to the artifacts of old posted on the wall nearby the Rift Rider.  
"Vin says I need an artifact called the 'Time Map' and an old energy gem history books call the 'Heart of Mar'. And I've looked in every book on Precursor history I can find, but the Rift Ring seems to have vanished!" Kiera spoke.  
"You know Vin?" Jak gasped.  
"Everyone knows who he is, Jak." Kiera rolled her eyes again.  
"I can't believe you did all this!" Jak gasped, "…You did all this? I mean... that's useful.  
"Oh, will you two stop moping around and make up already!" Daxter shouted.  
"Oh, I've seen the Heart of Mar! Krew has it! We'll get those two artifacts, Kiera." Before anything further could be said, the computer voice of a female droned on.  
"Attention all drivers. The Class One Championship race is about to begin!"  
"Well, here goes. The race of my life!" Jak smiled weakly, nervous.  
"All your friends will be watching you from the audience, Jak." Old Samos pointed out.  
"The Underground, too?" Old Samos nodded.  
"Isn't that risky?" Jak asked.  
"Jak…you've given people hope…they believe it." Old Samos smiled warmly. Jak nodded and started to make his way out.  
"Hey, Jak..." Kiera started, making him stop, "I just wanted you to know…"  
"Yea?" Jak eagerly waited.  
"Well, you're the best racer I've ever seen." Kiers softly spoke, "…I didn't mean it on Erol…he's good, but not as good as you."  
"Really?" Jak smiled.  
"Yea." Kiera nodded, "I believe in you."  
"That goes double for me! And you better keep yourself alive or I will never speak to you again! Obviously." Daxter crossed his arms. Jak smiled and felt his face blush.  
"I'll do the best I can…I'll win." Jak smiled, "Thank you… (then he eyed Kiera)…Thank you…and sorry." Kiera giggled.  
"Leave 'em in the dust, Jak!" Kiera cried out triumphantly.

……………

Jak went over to the stadium where crowds of people literally filled the entire seats. Signs of "GO EROL!", "I HEART EROL, MARRY ME!" as well as "BANNON! BANNON!" were everywhere.  
"How embarrassing." Jak muttered at the signs directed towards him of rapid fangirls wanting his affection.

"JAK, BLOW THEM OUT AWAY!" Jak turned to see Daxter yelling from the sideline. There, also watching were Old Samos, Kiera, some of the Underground members, including Tess (who Daxter came close to), Ani, and even Torn, who, unsurprisingly wasn't cheering, just watching. Several COMPS were around the Underground for Vin, Onin, and Pecker to watch from their respective home. Sig seem to be noticeably missing. Others Jak knew watched from either the stadium or in their home.  
Jak rode the racing zoomer Kiera made for him. Jak got to his starting line. Someone he knew came next to him. Jak gasped…it was Erol.

"I want more than just to win, eco freak... I want you!" Erol hissed.  
"Sorry, I don't date men…and most certainly not you!" Jak joked. The two didn't get much far on insults as a giant platform came floating down, housing Praxis and two Krimzon Guards.  
"Greetings, racers! Today your nerve and skill will be tested for our amusement. If any of you by some small chance beat our grand champion Erol, then you will be rewarded a month's supply of eco!" Barrels of Dark Eco came out on a platform on its own. Flying giant COMPS that served as cameras that broadcasted this race all over Haven City hovered near Praxis. Praxis then spoke in a lower tone, "…And a short tour of my palace to see how the other half live. Good luck, and die bravely!" Jak and Erol glared at each other, not very far from trying to bite their heads off.  
"Ready…Get SET…."  
**To Be Continued…**


	24. For Whom the Bell Tolls

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…  
Chapter 24: For Whom the Bell Tolls**

_The school dance was always a highlight in the teenage life. I remembered my own and how I met my sweetheart who would then later became my wife. She's passed away, unfortunately. Because I had such fond memories, I made sure Jak looked extra nice for his dance._

"_Well, what do you know; you DO fit into my old dance outfit." I chuckled, "Back then, I used to be a bit taller."  
"Yes, as you've told me many times before, Uncle." Jak cleared his throat.  
"Nervous?" I asked.  
"Not really, it's just a dance." Jak shrugged.  
"Most teenagers see this as an opportunity in the field of romance." I straightened his jacket. He wore a dark black jacket with matching pants that reached to his knees. He wore a white shirt inside. Gone were those goggles he always wore and I manage to convince him to keep his hair down and sleeked back then straight up.  
"Maybe you need cologne." I suggested.  
"You already gave me cologne…twice." I sighed, "I'm fine the way I am."  
"You're going out with a girl, maybe you two will fall in love." I chuckled. Jak nervously chuckled back. Don't think I didn't see that blush as much as he tried to cover his face.  
"Okay, my boy! Show 'em what you're made off!" I cried out, giving a light punch in his arms._

………………

_The dance filled with well dressed teenagers in a matter of minutes. Some came in wagons driven by beautifully groomed Fluts-Fluts, carrying their date, or driven by hired chauffeurs. The dance was located near the giant backyard of the school where food and drinks were ready, as well as a band. It was a lively jig, this dance was. Every teenager had a date. Without one you were deemed "uncool", but they mostly made up for it by being witty and pulling stunts, such was the case with Daxter._

"_JAK! I just drank 10 glasses of Ginger Juice!" Daxter sluggishly made his way to Jak, "Everyone cheered for me…ugh…I need to go to the bathroom!"  
"Then go." Jak laughed, sitting on a random table.  
"Where's Kiera?" Daxter asked.  
"She's in the bathroom…been there for a long time." Jak sighed, "She looked nervous."  
"Maybe she **LURVES **you." Daxter snickered.  
"Oh, stop and go to the bathroom already!" Jak smiled. Daxter, holding between his legs, raced to the nearest boy's room. At that time, Kiera came back.  
"Kiera, are you okay?" Jak asked. Keira, blushing, nodding.  
"I'm fine." She chuckled, "Come on, let's dance." And they did. Jak was never one to tire out so easily, the boy kept himself in tip top shape. They lasted three dances before coming to a slow one. Kiera rested her head on Jak's shoulder like a teenager usually did. To Kiera, it felt magically, to Jak, I believe he was a bit awkward, especially when she started to talk._

"_Isn't this nice?" Kiera asked, "A dance…you and me."  
"Yea…yea, I guess." Jak nervously smiled.  
"When was the last time we danced together like this?"  
"We never did."  
"Oh…yea…" She giggled, "We should go somewhere where it's all alone."  
"Huh?" Jak gasped. Kiera giggled some more, ignoring Jak's confusion and dragged the boy far away from the school and up a hill where the stars showed best. There, Kiera sat on the cool grass and patted on the ground next to her, indicating Jak to sit next to her. Jak did so and stared at the stars with Kiera.  
"Umm…you look nice." Jak started. Kiera was donning a lovely lavender dress. Violet and lavender was some of Kiera's favorite colors. _

"_When you see the stars, do you ever wonder of our destiny?" Kiera asked.  
"All the time…wait, OUR destiny?" Jak asked, "What do you mean by that?"  
"We've been friends for so long, Jak." Kiera sighed, "I always wondered though…could we be…more then friends?"  
"What do you mean?" Jak innocently asked.  
"You know…" Kiera gestured.  
"No, I really don't." Jak shook his head. Kiera sighed and came closer to Jak.  
"Jak, I have to tell you something." Kiera started to confess.  
"What is it?" He asked, once again, innocently.  
"…I…I have to tell you…" Kiera tried, "I...I…"  
"Yea?" Jak asked.  
"Give me a moment…I…Jak, that is…I…lo…" She was interrupted by fireworks, which shot up from the sky. It was common for the school to host fireworks in big events.  
"WOW!" Jak cried, "I love fireworks! Come on, Kiera; tell me what you have to say to me! What perfect time then fireworks!" Kiera lowered her head, refusing to look at Jak, and then just smiled lightly, yet in a disappointed manner.  
"…It's nothing." And the two watched the fireworks together…_

………………

**Mar Memorial Stadium**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 9 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"…GO!" Praxis' booming voice rang on the microphone he wore around his head. The racer zoomers sped off. Immediately, Erol got into first place with Jak slightly tagging behind.

"OH! It looks like the race has officially started! Hello and welcome to the annual Spring Mar's Memorial Race. I'm your racing host, Canny Macher!" came a male announcer, donning a stylish black suit and sleek violet hair. He was inside a high booth which gave him a view of the entire race, "The race marks the 300th birthday of Haven City which comes in a mere two weeks! With me to host and deliver the winner's prizes is famous celebrity that girls just love, Michel Pe'tri!" Upon hearing that name, girls everywhere screamed in fangirl-ish praise as Michel waved at the cameras and made a wink, as well as showing his flashing white teeth. His two assistants, Mimo and Ginger were close behind him, awaiting his every command.  
"How does it feel to be in today's race, Michel?" Canny asked.  
"Oh, I feel it _iz zee_ best I have _evar_ been to." Michel chuckled in said snooty manner, "I give all of _moi praisez_ to_ zee_ fans that watched all _moi_ movies and brought all _moi_ albums, _az_ well as my clothing _linez_ and other _merchandisez_…oh, be aware of _moi_ new CD, "Too_ hotz_ for Haven", coming in _zee_ two weeks during Haven City's 300th year."  
"Ha, Ha, that's just great!" Canny's over optimism showed through, "Oh, look! No surprise, Erol is in the lead! The son of the King can do anything, now can he?"  
Jak was still light-years behind and even other racers were beating him.  
"Damn." Jak groaned, "I need to get to that palace!"

"COME ON, JAK, GET THE LEAD OUT!" Daxter cried. Then he proceeded to lift up a sign he made, "BANNON WIN, EROL LOSE!" Ani barked in agreement Daxter, with Kiera, Tess, and the Undergrounds shouting encouragements to Jak, even if he couldn't hear it. Torn kept his silent treatment and just watched, arms crossed.  
Jak's friends that he made during his time in Haven made it their privilege to watch. Vin had himself popcorns as he watched in the Power Station from his COMP, cheering for him.

"GO GET 'EM, JAK!" Vin cried out.  
"You can do it!" came the roar of Carmen, the archeologist who watched from her COMP during one of her evacuation.  
"SHOW 'EM what you're MADE OF, BOY!" came the optimistic thrill of Avery as he and his wife, Mimi, and their friend, Stinky Pete watched from inside their home. Other Underground members from all over watched from their respective television set. Brutter watched from his COMP, shouting out praises despite people staring at him.  
"BLOW THEM OUT! BLOW THEM OUT!" Pecker cried, with Onin shaking fists at the COMP they had, indicating that she, too, was cheering for Jak to win.

Haven City mainly cheered for Erol during the course of the races Erol has entered and won, but this time, Jak has reached an all time high in the people's list of popular people. Considering it was he who has changed Haven City (and for the better), more then half the people of Haven City and its surrounding was cheering for the young blonde. He was the city's hope. While Jak couldn't hear his friend's voices because of the loud cheers and the humming of the engines, Jak knew they were watching and cheering him, he couldn't fail them! He reached Erol until they were neck and neck.

"YOU!" Erol hissed.  
"Surprise!" Jak cried, "You're not winning, not this year!" Erol led a frustrating growl and pushed Jak a bit from his zoomer. The crowd reacted, some thinking it was unfair, others thinking it was a righteous act.  
"HEY! THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR!" Jak shouted.  
"You won't win!" Erol cried, and then he zoomed past.  
"HEY!" Jak revved his machine to try and catch up. The other racers were too far behind and it was highly doubtful that they would catch up. Unfortunately, Erol completed his second lap with Jak following behind. More cheers uproar.  
"OH! WATCH HIM MOVE!" Canny the announcer cried out.

During the second lap, Ashelin came silently. She didn't sit down with the crowds, she watched from the edge of the crowd seating where a glass wall protected them from falling. There, she eyed Erol and Jak head to head with each other, and her father hovering nearby, located in the "King's corner" named for it's obvious hold for the royal family. Ashelin sighed. She was worried of her family, both her father and little brother. She decided to have a chat with both of them immediately after the race, even if it meant talking in front of the public. She had hopes that because of their public appearance, both Erol and Praxis couldn't walk off and ignore her. For then, she watched the events unfold. She loved her father and brother, but she had secret hopes that Jak would win. She remembered a time when things were peaceful in their family…

…………………

"_Always remember the special bond that you two shared." came the soft voice of a beautiful woman with light brown hair and light green eyes.  
"Why are you talking like that, Mom?" came a small voice that only a little girl could make. A little girl of only age 12.  
"It's nothing, my dear Ashelin."  
"You sound upset, mom." A small boy with red hair spoke.  
"Erolior…it'll be alright. You two need to look out for each other." She smiled, "Someday, I won't be here to protect you all."  
"What are you talking about?" The boy, Erol cried out, "You'll live! You'll live as we grow up and marry and have kids or our own! I don't know what's going on, but you won't die!" The mother…she could only smile._

_A few weeks passed before she died from a terminal illness. Her husband Praxis was devastated to the point where he turned cold. Ashelin, being the more older and far more experienced got over her mother's  
death faster, keeping her memories inside her heart. It was her little brother, Erol, who lost someone so special in his life. He loved his mother more then Ashelin and Praxis did. Perhaps because he connected well to her while Ashelin did with her father. Why did Erol have to suffer? He was only 9. Without a mother, he tried to gain attention to his father who, upon turning cold, started to ignore and even beat his only son._

"_I want to gain father's attention…I'll do anything." Erol stated, "He was proud to see Ashelin join the Krimzon Guards…will he be happy if I joined?"_

_He suffered so much…how could he recover? He tried to so hard to please his father, but in the end, he was still pessimistic and upset. Ashelin was so caught up with trying to change her father to give notice to her brother. She forgot her mother's words…to look out for each other. To be her brother's keeper._

…………………

Jak raced pass the other racers who were slowly catching up. Some of the racers lost control of their vehicle and fell off while their zoomer crashed and burned underneath a horrid fire. Ambulances and paramedics nearby came to the ailing fallen racers. Jak's good eye caused him to move out and maneuver with ease passed the obstacles and drivers until he reached Erol again. Erol, eyeing this, continued to push Jak out of the way. Jak, frustrated did the same. It was a pattern of pushes, hoping one of them would crash and burn. This continued into the third race. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. More profanity, more shouting, more curses and cheers.

"THIS IS IT! THE FINAL RACE, WHO WILL SURVIVE?" Canny cried out with Michel starring at him in disgust. Mimo and Ginger came closer to Michel, shouting their encouragements.  
"JAK! GO GET 'EM!"  
"GO FOR THE GOLD!"  
"JAK! JAK! JAK! JAK!" Daxter started a cheer with everyone following behind. He didn't care if he could talk in public or not, his loyalty to Jak was unquestionable.

"Go, Jak." came the soft voice of the kid, who, inside his palace, trapped in his room, watching from Puar. The little boy held onto his half of the pendent, like it was his good luck charm. In the stadium Ashelin whispered the same thing.

Jak and Erol continued their push and solve.  
"Why must you wreak everything for me?" Erol cried, "WHY? Everyone I LOVED, everyone I CARED FOR, they made my life not worth LIVING! THEY ALL LEFT ME! MY MOTHER…MY FATHER…MY SISTER!" Jak gasped, he couldn't believe he was hearing all this.  
"MY MOTHER DIED, YOU JACKASS!" Erol cried, "MY FATHER HATES ME, MY SISTER IGNORES ME! SHE GETS THE PRAISE!"  
"WHAT ARE YOU JABBERING ABOUT?" Jak shouted, "HOW THE BLOODY HELL IS THIS MY FAULT?"  
"I thought I was AT LEAST HAPPY with KIERA, but even YOU stole her from ME!" Erol was teary eyed, "YOU STOLE MY FAME IN THE RACING! I…HATE…YOUUUUU!" And he gave a final push, one so harsh that Jak screamed as he fell off his vehicle and skidded harshly on the floor. Everyone watching gasped. Everyone at their homes watching gasped. Jak's entire body ached in pain. His right cheek was scratched, his shirt and pants ripped. Blood entered in some part of his body. His vehicle was miraculously intact. Jak slammed his fist to the ground, cursing in full might.  
"DAMN IT!" He cried. Silence fell on his most loyal fans as well as his friends. He's failed. He couldn't possibly catch up to Erol by now. Silence except for the fans cheering on Erol.  
"I'm sorry…kid." Jak muttered, his head lowering down.  
"Could this be it?" Canny shouted, "The end of Jak Bannon! Has all lost faith in the city's hope? WILL EROL WIN? WHAT WILL HAPPEN?"  
"Oh, shut up, you're annoyin-WAH!" Michel shouted until he was knocked out by Mimo and Ginger who wanted to get a closer look at Jak.

"JAK!" Jak lifted his head up to see who cried for his name.  
"JAK, YOU LAZY MORON!" It was Torn, "ALL THAT HARD WORK ON THOSE MISSIONS I GAVE YOU AND YOU CAN'T HANDLE A SIMPLE RACE?"  
"Torn!" Daxter gasped, along with the others surrounding him, including Ashelin who heard from above. Jak was the most shocked upon hearing Torn actually encourage him.  
"GET YOUR LAZY ASS BACK ON THAT VEHICLE AND GET EROL!" Torn commanded, "OR I'LL CUT YOUR PAYMENT NEXT WEEK! NOW MOVE IT! I KNOW YOU CAN DO BETTER THAT THAT!"  
"Torn…" Jak smiled weakly. By this point, nearly everyone could hear except for the roaring side of Erol's, including Praxis who couldn't hear anything.  
Jak got up, slowly, as he was in pain, but eventually got up. The fans ROARED! Jak grinned and gave a thumbs up and rode his zoomer.  
"YEA, JAK!" Daxter cried.  
"KNOCK 'EM DEAD!" Kiera cried also. Jak's zoomer now zoomed passed in an attempt to catch up to Erol.  
"OH! AND JAK IS BACK IN THE RACE! Canny announced, "WHAT A PERFORMANCE!"  
Jak used the entire extra engine he had until he was once more, neck and neck to Erol. Erol was, obviously shocked.  
"WHAT THE HELL?" Erol cried.  
"I KNOW you had a rough time!" Jak cried, "I feel sorry for you, I DO! But I…CAN'T…LET YOU…WIN!" and Jak's zoomer revved up passed Erol's. Jak's main engine was starting to smoke and the finish line was near.  
"HIS ENGINE'S ON SMOKE!" Kiera cried, "It's going to go up in flames in seconds! He has to get out of that vehicle before it explodes!" Jak revved it up tighter…time felt slow…flashing cameras blinked, people watched and cheered, it felt blinding and deaf…the checkered floor…and then it all ended quickly. An uproar of cheers fell upon.

"He…won…JAK HAS WON!" Canny cried out. More cheers fell. Jak noticed he was over the finish line and his engine on the back on fire, so he made a quickly yelp and leaped off before it exploded in a giant blaze of fire. Jak landed on his butt, but he won. He stood up and saw the people's cheering for him. He made a giant smile, raised his arms, and screamed in happiness. Confetti rained down upon him. His friends, whether in the stadium or watching from their respective home cheered for their friend. The Baron came down from his platform with a trophy and an access pass to the palace. He handed it over to Michel who was to give it to the winner. Erol saw this from beyond. He was next to his vehicle. The crowds cheering for him, even the ones cheering for Erol, were now solely centered on Jak. Erol fell on his knees, hurt and embarrassed.

"Erol." came a soft voice. It was his sister, Ashelin.  
"Erol." She repeated, kneeing down to his level.  
"Ashelin…" Erol started to cry.  
"I know you've been hurt…I'm sorry if you felt I ignored you." She shook her head, "But you know I'd never ignore you. I know we haven't been close after mother's death…I'm so sorry." Erol had his head lowered, but he listened, "I admit I was caught up trying to change father to give you some attention…I nearly forgot mom's special memories…how she told us to help each other!" Erol was silent.  
"I never meant for father to take me as his favorite! I love all my family equally!" Ashelin nearly shouted, "We have to stop this! We have to stop father! People are getting hurt!" Erol eyed his sister, and then lowered his head again.  
"Leave father alone…he's done nothing wrong." He mumbled.  
"HE'S HURT YOU!" Ashelin cried, "How can you let him do this?"  
"I love him." Erol mumbled, "Maybe you don't understand that, but I do. Now leave me alone." Ashelin stood up with a frown.  
"You were the type to never give up…always ambitious!" Ashelin spat in disgust, "You can't be my brother…he cared." Ashelin stormed off. She already talked to Erol; she needed for Praxis to hear her words.

Daxter, Ani, everyone one of his friends came and crowded him, Jak, that is.  
"WAY TO GO, JAK!" Daxter ran up and hugged the blonde man. Jak sheepishly smiled and offered a hug back.  
"Glad that's over with!" Jak smiled. Michel came; he was to present the award. He sighed in disgust when he saw it was Jak.  
"Hello, Michel." Jak smiled.  
"Yea, whatever, just take _zee_ trophy and access pass to _zee _palace." Michel scoffed which Jak gladly did. His two assistants praised Jak on a good race before following their boss back home. Then Praxis came.  
"Ah, a brave man of the people. And who is this worthy opponent? In my world, good men are either bought or broken. So which is it going to be?" Jak turned to face Praxis with a cocky grin.  
"Surprise."  
"WHAT?" The older man gasped.  
" Come just a little closer. We need to talk." Jak gestured, keeping that cocky grin.  
"Fool! Don't you get it! It's over, Jak! All the heroes died long ago! Only survival remains... by whatever means! This city is mine! These lives are mine! This war is mine! And in war... PEOPLE DIE! Kill him!"  
"FATHER! NO!" Ashelin came running and stood in front of Jak.  
"Please, dad, stop this!" She cried, "This has gone far enough! THIS HAS TO STOP!"  
"Ashelin, get away!" Praxis cried as he tried to reach for Jak who started to back off. He didn't leave; he wanted to know what was up.  
"FATHER! THERE'S ANOTHER WAY! DON'T DO THIS!" Everyone was watching, even the ones at home. The cameras caught everything.  
"Guys, you all better split and go back!" Jak ordered, "I'll handle this!"  
"I don't want to leave you, Jak!" Kiera cried.  
"GO! JUST GO!" Jak ordered. Samos practically had to drag away Kiera while the other Underground was ordered by Torn to leave.  
"Don't you understand, Jak is a menace to this city!" Praxis shouted, "He deserves to die!"  
"How can you act like this?" Ashelin shouted, she now had tears in her eyes, "You've been like this ever since MOM DIED!" The two argued. The KG behind Praxis was confused as to shoot Jak or watch the argument unfold. Praxis was getting inpatient. Erol watched from afar. His sister was standing up against Praxis…this hasn't ever happened, not as long as he could remember. This was his sister…he missed his peaceful family home…then he realized what he became of himself.

_All my life…I've wanted to please father…but I never could. I became a KG for him, I did everything for him, dirty or not…I made a mess of myself just to please him…I've become someone I did not wanted to be…what would mother think? What would she think seeing her own son make an ass out of himself? Ashelin may have ignored me, but she never gave up on me! Now I know…I understand now…_

His final call came when Praxis slapped his daughter, Ashelin, who fell to the ground from the impact of it.  
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Praxis shouted as he took out his gun and pointed it to Ashelin.  
"NO!" came the shout of Torn who was now being held by two KGs, same with Jak along with Daxter and Ani.  
"Ashelin…" Erol mumbled.  
"DAD!" Ashelin cried.  
"Ashelin!" Erol shouted. He quickly got on his zoomer.  
"What is that?" A KG soldier spoke. The loud sound of the zoomer buzzed in.  
"Sounds like…a zoomer." Jak answered. They all turned to see Erol. He was aiming for Praxis.

"I understand now…I know…" Erol said to himself with tears coming down his eyes.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Jak cried and they all did. Praxis immediately knew Erol was aiming for him.  
"EROL!" Praxis shouted, as well as Ashelin who was dragged away by Torn to one side, Jak and his friends leaped to another. The zoomer came close to Praxis and he quickly climbed up the floating platform, operating it to go up. Erol couldn't think quick enough to stop and saw where he was heading for…the barrels of dark eco.  
"Agggghh!" Came Erol's scream before he crashed into the barrels. The crowds watching let out a resounding gasp.  
"EROOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLL!" came the cry of Ashelin. His mask that he wore at all times on top of his head fell out and landed on the track floor. The only thing that survived the wreckage. Praxis was silent for a very brief time before he eyed Jak and got his focus back.  
"After them!" Praxis cried. Jak had no choice but to run as the KGs gave chase. He dropped his trophy, but pocketed the access card to the palace. Praxis then turned his attention to the wreckage, then to Ashelin.  
"I need to have a word with YOU!" Praxis growled. Ashelin gasped.  
"And YOU as well." Praxis eyed Torn who stayed near Ashelin, protecting her, refusing to leave her side.

…_..I understand now…I'll never please my father…I'll never make him love me…not in this state…I understand now……so…I'll change…I'll do what I should have done…a long time ago…Sorry, sis…_

**To Be Continued…**


	25. The Prince or the Pauper

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…  
Chapter 25: The Prince or the Pauper**

_After that incident with the dance (which Jak told me about, as he usually does pertaining his life), a lot has…well, happen. Jak and his friend, Daxter had quite an adventure and he had a lot to tell me. He told me of a sage named Gol and his sister Maia, how the two formed an alliance with the Lurkers to seek something called a Precursor Robot. Ahh…I've heard of Gol and Maia. Too much study with dark eco made him who he is today. Another rumor spouting he was already born devious and black hearted. The same for his sister.  
When I found out Jak had to go see Gol (before we discovered how black hearted he has become), I was dishearten he had to leave._

"_I'll be back." Jak softly spoke. The reason for him leaving is because of his best friend, Daxter. A small boy with buck tooth, the Daxter we all knew and loved has become…an ottsel. Jak blamed it on himself and was too ashamed to even come out of his own room, especially when Daxter's parents saw their only son turned into a furry being. While Jak did get a lecture from both Daxter's parents and Samos for going off to Misty Island (a place off limits ever since Lurkers got a hold of it a while back) and dragging Daxter along, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. So, Jak decided on journeying to Gol to find a cure. I knew he'd survive, as an explorer; I gave him the tips of the trade._

………………

_Naturally, he did come back safe and sound later, but that didn't mean I didn't worry. There was no difference when Jak, Kiera, Daxter, and Samos returned, except they were carrying a giant, round object being pulled by one of the villager's wagon, covered by a giant cloak. During the night of his return, I asked him questions.  
I found out he manage to save the entire world from Gol and Maia. Jak, a young boy of 15 years manage to defeat Gol and Maia and save the entire world!_

"_I'm not sure if they are dead though." Jak spoke after he told me of his adventure, "They fell down the Dark Eco silo where our battle took place…but…they were inside a piece of the Precursor robot I destroyed with the sages' help…"  
"So, you think the precursor robot could have kept them safe from the dark eco?" I asked.  
"I…I don't know…Precursor robots can withstand ecos, I read it one time in one of your books." Jak spoke out.  
"I see." I mumbled, not knowing of this small info. I couldn't remember everything my books told me. Silence fell as I eyed Jak eating my sugar cookies. He was scarfing them down like he hasn't eaten proper food in years.  
"What was that you dragged here?" I asked.  
"Huh?" Jak asked, temporarily stopping his cookie rampage.  
"That round object you brought back…it was cloaked." I spoke.  
"Oh, it's some sort of…warp hole…gate thingy." Jak commented, "I'm not so sure what it is, so we brought it back. It was located on top of the giant Dark Eco Silo on top of an ancient ruin that the Precursors probably inhabited."  
"I see." I nodded slowly. Warp gate…I had a huge hankering on what that could be._

_Lo and behold, Samos and I talked a few days later concerning the gateway, now established near his hut. Other villagers have questioned what it was with Samos merely responding that it was a secret project he was working on. They even asked me what that giant object was since I had close ties to Samos, of course, I kept my mouth shut. Upon entering the hut, we had our usual round of tea.  
"Well, now I know how Jak will go home, I believe that thing is the key." Samos spoke.  
"You THINK?" I gasped.  
"I know he'd go back during spring…I spoke with the trees asking when he would, but they never told me how." Samos came, "I believe that thing will take him home, but even I'm not so sure myself."  
"Not so sure?" I gasped again, putting my teacup down harshly, "Honestly, Samos, and to think I thought you were a powerful sage."  
"HEY! I AM a powerful sage!" Samos countered, "At the moment, Kiera and I manage to research a bit behind it."  
"…So…how will he go back?" I asked softly, almost a whisper, "…Well, you THINK he might go back?"  
"The Rift Rider." Samos quickly answered.  
"The device that I first saw you with when Jak fell from the sky?" I gasped, "That was years ago. The machine doesn't even work now."  
"My daughter is fixing it up as we speak." Samos spoke, "I gave her the instructions of the Rift Rider."  
"Where did you get the instructions? Is the Rift Rider an ancient Precursor device?"  
"No…it was something Kiera created in the future…which I used to take Jak to the past…where the machine broke down as the years rolled by, and Kiera is fixing again."  
"…Kiera…in the future?" I was puzzled, "I thought she was born here."  
"I was young when I saw Kiera back in the future…of course; back then, I didn't know who she was." Samos came, "When I came to the past and adopted Kiera, I knew then that she was that green haired girl I saw…seems like Kiera will be coming with me…apparently, Daxter, too."  
"Oh, what will Daxter's parents say?" I gasped, "They love their son."  
"I'm not so sure either." Samos shook his head, "I'm not so sure. I refuse to say anymore."  
"So, you think this is the key, the one where Jak will go home in." I spoke. Samos nodded, although in an unsure manner.  
"I wish you wouldn't risk the boy as well as his friends…and yourself on something you're not so aware of."  
"We have no choice." Samos sighed, "You just need to do what you must do, now that you know your destiny." I sighed and nodded.  
"Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to see how far Kiera's progress with the machine is going." I watched the old sage left, sat on my chair for a bit, and then left home. There, I saw Jak and Daxter talking. Despite Daxter's radical change, the two still kept a tight friendship._

………………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 15 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Another week passed. The race has been over for that long. News has now spread on the racing incident. People had mixed opinions on the Baron, especially since he admitted to trying to kill his own daughter in public. Praxis spent most of the week brooding, however, instead of anger with the news press. He spent most of the time either in his office or his bedroom, formally belonging to that of his brother and wife. He was depressed. To him, his family seemed to all be against him. Ashelin has been kept in her room for the past week. She willingly obeyed, depressed over the events. Torn was sent to the palace dungeon which was just below the basement of the palace for betrayal, and the child still remained locked in his room for the most part. But everyone of the Romanir family knew…they were depressed because of Erol.  
Erol landed on a month's supply of dark eco. Such a matter could have easily destroyed him, but if Daxter manage to get out alive, Erol could and indeed he was, except he wasn't the same. The former racer was now inside the palace's main clinic, comatose. He was placed in a frozen container where he was literally frozen until a cure could be found for his ailments.  
"He probably has dark eco growing inside him. Him bring frozen will greatly reduce the spreading, but we'll have no clue how long he'll be in there." The head doctor explained, "We're doing everything we can."  
_"_Try harder, you buffoons!" Praxis would say to them. Erol did succeed, however…Praxis finally gave attention to his only son. Now…he's regretted ever beating his son, let alone insulting and ignoring him. He visited everyday. Of course, by the end of the week, he pretty much was back on his feet and part of the reason was because of a phone call from Krew saying he was near complete with his machine, the one to  
open the Precursor Stone. Praxis knew he had to get his priorities in order, so the first thing he did was have a chat with Ashelin…chat, as in manipulate.

"Still upset over your brother?" Praxis asked.  
"What do you think?" Ashelin mumbled. She barely left her room as it is, "I lost mom…what if I lose my brother?"  
"My dear, this is all because of Jak." Praxis started. Ashelin, who recently had her head buried underneath her desk, now raised it up and stared at her father.  
"He poisoned your brother's mind, ruined the city of my rule and wrecked everything!" Praxis cried, "He wants to take away the Precursor Stone, something I can use to stop the Metal Heads once and for all. Once I crack it open, its energy will spur out and destroy the Metal Heads."  
Ashelin had no clue on what to say. She wasn't aware of the consequences when opening the Precursor Stone.  
"I have been trying to destroy the Metal Heads for years now and with this stone, I can finally do it." Praxis came, "Jak wants to get rid of me and use his stone against me. His own selfish purpose."  
"He worked with Torn who's been trying to help the the city." Ashelin defended.  
"You honestly think the Underground's work is beneficial?" Praxis gasped, "They destroyed this city so many times; any more could cause the city shield to fall!" Ashelin grew silent again.  
"Ashelin…who do you trust? Your father or some stranger you've only know for a few months?" Ashelin gave a concerned and worried face…

……………

**Underground HQ**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 15 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Well, I'm going." Jak nodded, "To stop Praxis once and for all, retrieve the Precursor Stone, and save the kid."  
"Jak…"The two Samoes spoke gently.  
"Be careful, Jak." Kiera came towards him. She was in the hidden Underground HQ for safety reasons. Everyone of the Underground mumbled a "good luck" or a "Be safe" speech.  
"Make sure to bring back Torn, too!" cried Tess. Jak nodded, and then slowly left with Daxter and Ani in tow  
"Good hunting!" Both Samoes cried.

They had to be extra careful. Ever since the racing incident, Jak's "wanted" list became super high on the KG's list of most wanted people, as well as the Baron. Of course, Jak maneuvered through the city with such ease and elegance as he made his way to the palace. He climbed over the high wall fence and hid behind a tree. It was already pass sunset and was now a calm dusk, so the KG didn't notice him immediately, but they were guarding the front door. Jak had to somehow get in.  
"Maybe we should dress you up as a noble." Daxter muttered, "Say you have some sort of meeting with the Baron." Jak nodded in agreement. The nobles of Haven were sophisticated, gentlemanly or ladylike, depending on the gender. Their outfits were colorful and bright with males wearing long, thick, elegant crafted coats, and pants that reached only to their knees, their clear, white socks and black shoes taking over the rest. Powdered wigs or fancy hair were also common. Women donned dresses with multiple frills and bows, the dress nearly covering every aspect of their body but their chest area. Their hairs were in impossible fashion and they usually carried a parasol. They were a walking set of Victorians. Nobles were everywhere in the Haven Palace area, which was, of course, no surprise.  
Jak went about to nearest male noble, quickly took him behind a tree and beat him senseless. Jak was quite reluctant to wear that entire outfit (it would take him too long, for one thing), so he grabbed the noble's jacket and powdered wig, then proceeded to enter, hoping the disguise would be convincing enough. As usual, Daxter hid inside his bag with Ani following behind. Jak tried to hide his face with the noble's jacket  
as he causally walked over to the Krimzon Guards on the front door. There, the two Krimzon Guards that stood ground immediately saw Jak walking up the steps and blocked his way.

"Halt! What business do you have here?" A KG asked.  
"I have a meeting with the King." Jak spoke as snooty as possible.  
"The Baron doesn't want anyone meeting him." The second KG spoke. Jak sighed, he HAD to get in.  
"Rubbish! Why, the baron and I have been arranging this meeting for months now and this is the only time I can go in!" Jak cried.  
"Yes, but-"  
"-But nothing! I have a company to rule over and I took the time to clear out my busy schedule just so the Baron and I can chat!"  
"Yes, but-"  
"-And you lot comes in and tell me I can't enter! Well, let me tell YOU something, I AM a NOBLE!" Jak was really getting into this, "I eat Krimzon Guards like you for lunch…and dinner…and maybe even brunch! Now, let me in, damn it or I'll sue the lot of you!"  
"Y-Yes, sir." The KG soldiers stepped away reluctantly. Jak made a noble, "hmph!" then used his key card he won and entered. Once inside, Jak removed his noble garb and grinned.

"REAL sly." Daxter spoke as he climbed out of Jak's bag as well Ani, "I think you were getting a little too into the noble role though. Your pose was SO snooty."  
"Oh, hush." Jak kept that cocky look, "Come on, we got lots to do."  
Jak and his trio of friends made their way around the palace, avoiding any maids, guards or anyone for that matter.  
"Jak, who or what are we getting first?" Daxter whispered.  
"The kid, of course!" Jak whispered back as they hid beneath a potted plant as a maid passed by, "The problem is I don't know where he is. Maybe he's in his room."  
"Do we even know where it is?" Daxter whispered, if not loudly. Jak shushed him.  
"No, but Ani will." Jak eyed the small pup. Ani wagged her tail and nodded. So, they followed the green crocadog as she led their way to the kid's room. On their way, Jak eyed many rooms that he was fortunate to see with the door's wide open. Several caught his interest, including the main weapon's room where he went right in, almost in a trance-like way.  
"Jak!" Daxter gasped, following after him, "Are you nuts? There could be security cameras everywhere!" Jak ignored Daxter's word; he was too memorized by a sword inside a glass case like a museum display.  
"Daxter…the sword." Jak whispered, "The only sword that can kill the Metal Head Leader."  
"What?" Daxter gasped, climbed on Jak's shoulder, and eyed it with him. The sword was a masterpiece. Not too big or tall, not too skinny or short, perfectly fit in the middle. The steel felt clear and beautiful, a real touch of elegance. It looked like nobody's ever used it. The handle was silver with elegant designs. The bottom handle had a round circular hole where it looks like something needs to be placed inside.  
"This is the sword that can defeat the Metal Head leader." Jak responded, "I remember the description the kid told me of this sword…it's exactly how I imagined it…which is strange."  
"Why's it strange?" Daxter asked.  
"The sword is EXACTLY how I imagined it…how?" Jak gasped, "Coincidence?"  
"Maybe…look, Jak, we gotta go before someone sees us." Daxter commented. Jak nodded.  
"Yea…come on."

Again, the four traveled for a sizable amount (with Daxter complaining the place was too big). They seemingly followed Ani, but the further they got, the more Jak started to explore the place more independently, stopping every so often to eye a certain room, even as far as going inside. Whether it be a simple vase or furniture, Jak felt the need to examine it as if he was an archeologist exploring old artifacts. Daxter and Ani had to keep dragging him in the right direction, but Jak couldn't help it.  
"Something about this place rings a bell." Jak muttered, "I don't exactly know how I feel, but…but it feels…so…familiar."  
"Jak, I know you have magical issues and stuff, but this is not the time to act like this." Daxter came, "We got a mission, remember? Most importantly, I wanna get outta here. It's luxurious, yes, but I'd want to eat chocolates, with some slight mint, in a soft bed in that room over there (he pointed), while having a harem of girls surrounding me WITHOUT Krimzon Guards or anyone inside here wanting to persuade me!" Upon Daxter pointing to a room, Jak went inside, pushing the double doors.  
"HEY!" Daxter cried.  
"This is the…throne room." Jak gasped. The throne room was entirely blue except for the usual red banners that graced the entire palace when Praxis took over. Half of the throne room had glass on the bottom to top floor and ceilings of the room. They gave a beautiful view of the city and other location (the palace slowly spins in a clockwise direction). On the far end, in the middle were steps covered by red carpets. On the top was a throne.

"Yes, Jak, the throne room, can we go now?" Daxter asked.  
"It's…a lot bigger then I imagined." Jak muttered.  
"We saw this room from the rooftop the last time we came here, remember?" Daxter asked, "The Baron was here and he could come back! So, let's leave!" Jak didn't waste any time though and just casually stared at the throne chair as he came closer with each step. When he did reach the chair, he slightly touched it and felt a sense of oddity waving inside of him, a familiar oddity, more or less. It was a comforting feeling. Jak suddenly had the urge to sit down.

"BACK AWAY FROM THE CHAIR!" cried out a familiar voice: Ashelin. Armed with a standard Krimzon Guard pistol, Ashelin headed straight for Jak. Jak quickly came down to defend himself, but her gun aimed directly at his face.  
"I shouldn't have trusted you! Jak"  
"Back where we started, huh?" Jak sighed.  
"Don't play with me! All along you've been trying to undermine our war with the Metal Heads!" Ashelin held that gun tightly, her hand almost shaking, "Whose side are you on?"  
"WHAT? Listen Ashelin, your father's planning something terrible, and if-" Jak started to speak.  
"-My father can destroy the Metal Head armies once and for all!" She interrupted. Ani whined.  
"If he cracks open the Precursor Stone, the explosion will kill all of us! Don't you get it!" Jak cried.  
"That's right! Not so hard, huh? Even I can figure this one out!" Daxter admitted, pointing to himself. Ashelin eyed the two, still keeping the gun towards Jak's face. She was at a lost for word. Trust the man who was halfway responsible for her birth or trust a boy whom she only knew for a year? You'd think a daughter would choose her own flesh and blood over a stranger, but Ashelin spotted deep honesty in Jak's eyes. In fact, upon further examinations, those blue eyes rang familiar in her head. She quickly shook it off and sighed. Jak tried to move out of the way. There he was, both hands halfway up in the air. Now would have been a good time to escape, but Ashelin refuse to let him leave.  
"Don't you move!" Pulling out her intercom, she called someone familiar, "Vin? Come in."  
"What? What? I've got my hands full here, you know!" Vin's shaky voice is heard.  
"Vin?" Jak gasped.  
"Oh, Jak, is that you? OH! I saw you win that race, congratulation!" Vin spoke, "My son saw it, too! He's become your official #1 fan!"  
"Cut the crap, Vin, we got business." Her gun still pointing to Jak's head.  
"And that might be?"  
"You know all about the Precursor Stone myth, right?"  
"Sure, I did my Econecic Energy Doctorate on Precurian Theoretical Physics. Why?"  
"What would happen if the Precursor Stone were to be... say... violently cracked open?" She asked in such a causal manner.  
"Great! As if I didn't have enough to keep me awake at night, you need one more thing to dread! Thank you very much!" Vin sarcastically and angrily spoke.  
"Well!" Ashelin grew impatient.  
"If someone actually had the Stone, according to my calculations, a runaway eco surge from cracking it open would... theoretically destroy... EVERYTHING!" Vin shrieked.  
"Everything?" Ashelin gasped, clutching the intercom tight.  
"All things... every single thing... Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go throw up! Bye bye…" Vin disconnected. Ashelin eyed Jak who kept that "Please believe me" look. Ashelin sighed. She lowered the gun and turned away from Jak, embarrassed.  
"Trust me Ashelin. We have to stop him." Jak spoke. Silence fell, only the sniffs from Ashelin could be heard. She spoke after sniffing her nose.  
"…..Ever since my brother's incident, I haven't been myself…I let father manipulate me. Led me to believe you were the enemy."  
"Ashelin…" Jak started.  
"My father isn't an evil man…he's just…corrupt." Ashelin chocked on her own words. Her entire body was turned over Jak, so as to not let Jak and the others see her form tears, but her voice was all that was needed to know she was in pain.  
"We can help him not be…corrupt…but we need your help. We need everyone's help." Jak softly spoke, "We need to know where the Precursor Stone is, where the kid is." Once again, Ashelin was silent. She tried to sniff back a few tears.  
"The kid's in his room, the stone…probably with father."  
"Where would that be?" Daxter asked.  
"My father is meeting Krew at a secret Weapons Factory near the Dig." Ashelin turned to face Jak, then dug in her pocket and handed another keycard, "Here. That's my top level security pass. It'll get you into the factory, but it won't get you back out."  
"….Thanks." Jak softly spoke.  
"Don't thank me." Ashelin mumbled.  
"Ashelin, can you take us to the kid?" Jak asked. Ashelin sighed, nodded, and then ran. Jak followed behind.

They continued to follow her until they reached the child's room. Unlocking the double doors, Ashelin led them inside a fairly large room. It had a nice king size bed, two giant windows and one balcony entrance, a nice table with two chairs near one window (incidentally, little tea cups were there, neatly placed), bookshelves filled with literatures, a couch with matching love bug and chair and a small table nearby as well as a carpet underneath, another door that led to the prince's private bathroom, and little other oddities that made up the kid's room.  
"Wow, I want me this room." Daxter whispered. Yes, it was a lovely room…problem is, the kid was nowhere to be seen.  
"Kid?" Jak searched, "Kid? KID?"  
"Oh-No." Ashelin gasped, "Father…he must've taken him to the Weapons Factory."  
"WHAT?" Jak cried, "WHEN? HOW? WHY?"  
"I...I don't know…he left a few hours ago!" Ashelin shook her head, "He must be trying to persuade the kid to open the stone one last time before he does it himself."  
"No." Jak whispered, down on his knees.  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Daxter cried, "Let's go find the kid…I can't believe I just said that." Everyone agreed. Jak slowly nodded, getting up. The others ran out through the door. Jak was the last to go, but a blinding white flash of light stopped him from moving. He let out a small yelp.  
"Jak?" Daxter asked, "Are you okay?" Jak unblocked his face which he did previously when the light blinded him temporarily, He shook his head as though he recovered from a faint.  
"Ow…it felt like a sledge hammer went through my head!" Jak groaned, "It…it hurts!" Not any moment sooner, his pendent half started to glow.  
"Jak!" Ashelin came inside as well. Jak eyed the pendent and slowly picked it up.  
"What's it doing?" Daxter gasped. Jak then noticed a small pyrefly was hovering near him.  
"Hey, it's one of those things we saw in the ruins of Sandover!" Daxter shrieked.  
"What th-What is that?" Ashelin gasped.  
"It's a pryefly." Jak mumbled slowly, "I know this one…it helped me find the Life Seed."  
"How can you tell?" Ashelin asked.  
"...I…I don't know, but it feels like the same pyrefly as the one who helped us earlier." Jak mumbled, "I don't know much about myself, but it's no surprise I'm having an epiphany over this."  
"Jak you're scaring me." Daxter gulped.  
"Jak, are you saying you can speak with the pyrefly or have some connection with it?"  
"I think I do, but I just can't make out what!" Jak groaned, "It's been like this for a few years. I can hear voices in my head so often. It's been happening for years." Jak turned his back towards his friends.  
"What sort of voices?" Ashelin asked.  
"I'm not so sure…they speak in a kind of whisper." Jak answered, "And I'm not talking about my Darker counterpart who seem to have stop talking to me (possibly because I'm gaining control of it), but…it's strange."  
"Jak, you're describing what my Uncle Barailor told me when he heard voices when he was 10." Ashelin walked up to him. Jak made another, "huh?" look, "My uncle later found it was the mysterious beings beyond, more then likely, the Precursors. Only first born royal family of blood can hear things, how can you?"  
"Well, he was exposed to dark eco." Puar popped in.  
"But I remember hearing voices before back in Sandover, 300 years in the past." Jak shook his head, "Now this room looks familiar to me!" Jak wandered around the kid's room as the others started debating on this unusual issue.  
"This is impossible." Ashelin muttered, "How can he, a total stranger to the Romanir family have visions and hear voices similar to that of the royal family?"  
"Maybe it has to do with that pendent the kid gave him." Daxter pointed out, "Jak got even scarier with that thing around his neck."  
"Maybe Jak is more then what he seems to be." Ashelin muttered.  
"Come to think of it, rumors back in Sandover spoke that he fell from the sky as a small kid." Daxter pointed out, "That he was a "gift" from the Precursors."  
"What?" Ashelin gasped, "That's…that's something." Ashelin, Daxter, and Ani eyed Jak who was now power walking around the room, looking through old books, eyeing the tea cups that were so carefully placed, looking at papers left untouched that Christof wrote on of his thoughts on his work desk.  
"I remember…everything. The little things. I always had sour fruits in my tea, I kept a stash of chocolate hidden in a small hole in my bookshelf, and I remember the one time when I had that one dream of flying Lurkers."  
It was Ashelin who had the most shocked appeal. All memories as far as Jak was concerned. Ashelin had a theory automatically, but decided to test Jak first.  
"Jak…do you know where you hid the chocolates?" She asked. Jak gave a short shrug, went to the book shelf, took out a green leather bound book, opened up a small wooden board, and fetched out a bag of chocolates.  
"Holy…Crap." Daxter gasped.  
"Who am I? I just…know."  
"Jak! Stop scaring me!" Daxter screamed, "Stop this stupid charade! Let's get out of here! This palace is doing something to you!" Jak didn't move, he didn't feel compel to. Ashelin, with a worried look, slowly went over to the young man and stared deeply at him. Jak hardly blinked his eyes when Ashelin stared. He wasn't so sure what she was doing, but he didn't feel scared. It went on for about a minute before Ashelin gasped and backed away a bit.  
"What? WHAT?" Daxter leaped, "What is it?"  
"Jak…" She whispered, "….Christof?"  
"What?" Daxter cried out, with Ani giving a confused dog bark. Jak slowly blinked a little and lowered his head down.  
"Wait, wait, Ashelin, did you just call Jak…Christof?" Daxter shouted, "Okay, let's go back here-" He was cut off when the small pyrefly circled the band of heroes and misfits. Jak's pendent half started to glow and soon, the entire cast was blinded by a white flash of light.

……………

**Month 3: **? **  
Year:** ?

Upon opening their eyes, they saw they were in the throne room, but everything was bright yellow, even themselves.  
"Umm…okay…why is everything yellow?" Daxter asked, "Although I do see some hints of goldenrods and topaz…"

"_Christof, finally, you are born into this world."_

"Whoa! Who said that?" Daxter cried. The heroes turned around to face a bunch of people on the throne room. Ashelin gasped.  
"That's my uncle and aunt, the former King and Queen…there's my father…and my little brother…me and Torn (he was coming to visit since he was a KG at that point and was meeting a more experienced one in the palace) when we were a bit younger. There's Grandmother Alexandros as well!"  
"Looks like the royal family is holding a bundle of blankets." Daxter popped in. The "bundle of blankets" was lifted high by the King himself.

"_Finally, Christof! You have given Haven a new heir!" _He proudly shouted, _"You will be a shining beacon on us all!"_

"This is when Christof was born!" Ashelin gasped, "Uncle Barailor and his wife wanted such a day for this to happen. They've tried so hard to get a child for years, to get an heir…after so many years into the marriage, they finally got him." Jak was silent throughout this whole thing. He approached the small family and stopped enough to stand his distance and take a peek inside the bundle of blankets. There, he saw a small figure with small locks of green hair. He was sleeping peacefully.  
"Jak…" Ashelin whispered, "Are you okay?"

…………

"_Father!" _The heroes turned around and were now in the gardens of Haven Palace where they eyed young Christof where he looked no more then three.  
_"Father!" _he was trying to catch up to his father who was a few feet ahead of him. When the little boy did reach his father, he smiled and spoke, _"The road to being the King of Haven is frustrating and a hard road indeed. If I stopped for you, you would have given up and walked away or just quit. A king can never do that." _Young Christof nodded.

"_Repeat if with me, my son."_

"A king can never give up. To give up the kingdom so would be treacherous. The road is long and hard…but guidance and persistence shall lead us into the right path…" Jak softly spoke. Ashelin gasped even further. Jak was repeating everything the King as well as young Christof spoke. Soon, the two figures vanished, leaving the current batch of heroes on the gardens.  
"He always said that phrase to me." Jak lowered his head, "Even until his untimely death. He told me being King would mean sacrifice and to help the greater good. Even if it meant making decisions the people would not approve…even if it meant dying to save his people…that's the duty of a King. He told me that…I didn't want to believe I had to do such a thing and that it was something he said to scare me…but when he died during the Metal Head invasion…I knew his words meant what he said." Jak's voice was breaking, "Why did the Metal Heads have to kill him, why?" Jak muttered, "Why my mother, too?" The pyrefly flew around Jak and the others some more until they were inside Christof's room.

…………

"_Where did you come from?" Christof asked. He was still younger then he was now.  
"This is none of your concern at the moment." It was Puar.  
_"Puar!" Jak gasped,_  
_"Yea, she just appeared one day, seemingly out of the blue." Ashelin stated, "We don't know where she came from and what her true purpose is. We still don't know."_  
"Don't be scared, Prince Christof. I am an ally sent from the great powers that be. I am special in more ways then one."  
_"This is weird, she's not yelling and being all perky here." Daxter sighed, "Why can't we have that here more often?"_  
"Who are you?"  
"All will be revealed in time…Prince Christof."  
_The scene changed again until they were in the bottom of Haven Palace.

……………

There, they witness the royal family starting to flee.  
Torn, Ashelin, and Erol were fighting off the Metal Heads so the Queen, her mother-in-law, and her son could escape safely. A mix of rain and thunder overtook the entire kingdom. Metal Heads were everywhere.  
"This is the battle of the Metal Head invasions nearly 3 years ago!" Ashelin gasped.

"_MOTHER!"_ Jak turned around from Ashelin and saw Christof's mother mauled to death by a Metal Head. The Metal Heads then headed for the small child, but something lifted the Metal Head and sent it crashing  
into the palace walls.

"_You is need to be escaping here!" _It was Brutter, well, three years ago, anyways.  
_"Mother!" _Little Christof cried, going over to his mother's dead body.  
_"Christof, we must leave!" _Alexandros panicky shouted, trying to pull Christof away.  
_"I WON'T LEAVE MOTHER!" _He cried.

"I can't believe we're watching all this." Ani gasped, she was obviously disturbed by all this. Daxter noticed the poor Crocadog's behavior and gave her a gentle pat. Ani, in return came to Daxter close for out of fear and sadness. It seems Ani had witness the disaster of the Metal Heads as well.

………………

As the scene disappears, leaving Christof to grieve over his mother's death, there were now on top of the Haven Palace, but in another location. They were on top of the palace, where the rain and thunder continued.  
"What now?" Daxter gasped.

"_WATCH OUT!" _The heroes turned to see a man pushing another from a giant beast.  
_"My brother, I thank you." _came the voice of the man who was saved.  
"_You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours!" _Praxis grinned.

The heroes were witnessing a grand fight between Baralior and his brother, Praxis, and a giant Metal Head. The Metal Head leader.

"_FOOLS!" _the leader cried, _"With the shield wall down, I am my all powerful being and once I have the last Precursor Stone, I will me immortal…all the Precursor Eggs have been suckled by me, so will the last one!"_

"_I do not understand how the city shield broke down, but I will stand up and defeat you!"_ came the triumph voice of the King himself. A raging battle put forth, each man drawing a sword as they tackled the beast. Barailor was using the sword Jak saw earlier, the one that can kill the metal Head Leader. No other weapons can. It seemed for a while, the two brothers worked together in complete and utter trust. The two brothers fought bravely until Barailor was gravely injured from the Metal Head Leader who threw him back, his claws slightly digging into his chest.  
"NO!" Jak cried, wanting to do something. It was only a flashback, so he couldn't interact with them.

"_Ugh…" _Baralior lean against a wall, blood spurring out of his chest and mouth. His sword nearby him. Praxis causally walked up to him.  
_"B-Brother…cough…Help me…" _Baralior weakly spoke.  
_"I am helping…helping myself, actually." _Praxis causally spoke, _"You see…the reasons the Metal Heads entered this city so easily is not because the city shield wall has been destroyed or anything, it's because I unplugged the main power core supporting it."_

"WHAT?" Jak gasped with his fellow friends gasping from behind.

"_I allied with the Metal Heads…the decision that you didn't want me to do, brother."_ Praxis smiled, _"Together, we can benefit from each other…we'll rule the world together."  
"You…You…why…then why did you do this?" _Barailor choked, more blood leaving his mouth.

"_Don't you get it; a Metal Head rampage is perfect for you to die, so I can take over." _Praxis kneel down to his brother, "_In truth, it'll look like the Metal Head Leader will be the one to kill you…in reality, I'll be the one."  
"Praxis…" _Barailor coughed some more blood, but his face was angry and hateful, _"I cannot believe you would do this… betray the kingdom!"  
"I'm not betraying it, I just want it." _Praxis grinned, _"And if I have to kill my brother to get what I want, I'll do exactly that. Your view of the world is uninspiring."_ Praxis slowly took out his sword and with the Metal Head Leader watching, Praxis stared down at his own brother, close to his face where he whispered, _"But don't fret, I plan to double cross the Metal Heads as well, but we'll just keep that one a secret between you and I." _He let off a sinister, egocentric laugh.  
_"Any last word?"_  
_"You cannot handle the power of Haven rules! You don't have the powers the Precursors gave you!" _Barailor coughed, _"I can't liberate this, but don't think my son won't!"_ Praxis let out a boast of laughter.  
_"Your son is just a small boy…helpless and weak…an easy victim to kill." _Barailor stared wide-eyed at him.  
_"Long Live…the King…" _And with that, Praxis shoved his sword down Barailor's chest.

"DAD, NO, DON'T!" Ashelin gasped. As Praxis pulled the sword out on the now dead King, Jak watched in horror, eyes wide open, face pale, hands shaking.

"_You can tell the Metal Heads to leave now." _Praxis spoke.  
_"I refuse to leave this city without the Precursor Stone." _The Leader's loud, booming voice rang.  
_"When I find it, I'll tell you_." Praxis scoffed.  
_"No, I plan to stay." _The Leader growled some more, _"I will be weak due to the city shield, so I will adapt a precursian disguise."_  
_"Suit yourself." _Praxis grinned, and then he stared down at Barailor, _"As for this useless body…just for a bit of drama…"_ He kicked his brother to the edge, and then kicked him down the tall palace where the body plummeted. The body hit the hard ground where Christof was moaning over his mother's death. His father's body was in a much worse shape. Christof started to scream while the other family members started to notice the Metal Heads leaving. Then they tried to comfort the poor boy. All Christof could do was scream, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"  
"-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" And the voice, that scream continued on as Jak cried out, now kneeling down, tears flowing, his hands on his head as though he had the worst headache of his entire life.  
The flashback now led to another scene…

………………

"_We have to send him to the Underground." _Alexandros spoke with Ashelin of the past, _"Praxis has gone too far! He's corrupt and his search for the Precursor Stone is maddening! The child would be forced to open it if Praxis found the stone!"  
"I know, but is this wise?" _Past Ashelin asked._  
"Christof is our future, Ashelin." _Alexandros spoke in a strict, yet gentle tone, _"We need to send him away…"  
"He still hasn't gotten over the death of his parents." _Past Ashelin spoke, _"…Poor guy."  
"We don't have much choice…tonight, the boy leaves."_

The words echoed in his head and the bright flashing light entered and blinded them all.

"_The word keeps spinning and spinning, doesn't it…yet, can you accept the responsibilities that befallen on you? I, your darker half am starting to wonder about you. You took over me twice and I feel myself slipping…ever so slipping…perhaps there is more to you then meets the eye…but can you accept the responsibilities? Can you? You are last Romanir…"_

Jak then saw darkness. Voices, whispering voices. So much going in his head, he couldn't keep up with them! Jak wanted them to stop, he wanted to shout, but no sound left his mouth. All he could do is clutch his head while his entire body and soul was surrounded in pitch black. He couldn't feel his friends or his family, all he felt was pain. The voice grew louder and Jak wanted to run, but he couldn't. His legs felt paralyzed. Why? Why was he given voices? Why are they hurting him and overwhelming him? Why? Tears from his eyes, his skull ready to spilt in two. The voices grew too loud that not even a harrier jet could pierce through it. Jak then heard a screaming voice, quickly realizing it was his own. Everything started to turn white and the next thing he knew, everything was silent…He fell unconscious.

……………

"_My dear boy…"_

His voice was soft and familiar…was Jak being hugged by him? Cradled like he was a child again?

"_My dear boy…you've suffered so much. So much voices in your head."_

"…Ugh…"

"_Don't speak, save your strength." _

"_Once you get use to the voices, they will be your allies…Your ancestors always watched over you…including me…"_

"….So…familiar…"

"_You are so different…you've changed…not so innocent…but the purity in your heart never left you, it cannot." _

"_You are too precious to let the darkness consume you. This is a time for your need. Everyone asks you for so much, but in the end, everything will turn out alright…please smile and be happy…never lose that purity, that kindness…live up to your name…the Miracle Child…" _

"_And please…wake up…"_

"What?"

"_Wake up…wake up…"_

"WAKE UP!" Jak gasped and saw Daxter on top of him, yelling for him to get up.  
"See, I told ya yelling would work." Daxter grinned, "Hey there, Jak, you okay?"  
"How long have I been out?" Jak weakly spoke.  
"A few hours." A gravely voice spoke. Jak made a weird face, a voice he didn't recognized…not at first. He slowly turned to see…  
"WAH!" Jak shrieked a little, "…You're Queen Alexandros."  
"Last time I checked." She responded with a cool and calculating face. Her hair was in a bun, she had on a light blue dress, and lavender eye shadows. Rings adorned her fingers, a silver tiara on her head, and she kept a stern appeal throughout. Quite an intimidating sight.  
"When you fainted, she came in and we were at a lost for word." Ashelin spoke.  
"We were pretty surprised she didn't drag us all to prison." Daxter came on.  
"So…Jak Bannon, the renegade." Alexandros sat on the cough Jak was on. Jak was now sitting, rubbing his temples, "We finally meet." Jak stood up slowly, and then blinked continuously.  
"Those flashbacks…"  
"Yea! Why did we see Christof's flashbacks!" Daxter cried.  
"The precursors are obviously telling the boy something." Alexandros spoke, "Everyone…please leave the room…I wish to speak with Mr. Bannon alone."  
"But…" Daxter was pulled away by Ashelin, giving him a face that indicated the Alexandros wanted to speak with Jak alone." The door closed, leaving the two alone.  
"I don't understand why there are voices in my head." Jak shook his head, staring at the starry night, "Then again, I don't remember a lot of things." Alexandros remained silent.  
"How far back can you remember?" Alexandros asked.  
"I…I'm not so sure…the farthest memory I could think of was when I was a small kid." Jak spoke, "I can't remember anything before that."  
"You didn't get those visions for any reasons." She spoke in a calm manner, "The Percursors gave them to you or sent someone to give them to you."  
"Huh…why?" Jak asked.  
"You tell me." Alexandros kept that stern face. It was intimidating. Jak didn't know what to make of her. Jak noticed he was in the family room. The entire place was different from most of the palace. It wasn't drab and gray covered with red banners that Praxis enjoyed. There was a giant chandelier that cast the entire room with a yellow glow, fine china were inside large cabinets, a brown table lined with white table cloth in the middle, two blue candles on each side, and five chairs. A fine framed painting hung on one side, there was a nicely designed red carpet on the floor, two chairs, and a couch.  
"….I remember he and I had a lot of practice meetings here." Jak mumbled.  
"What?" Alexandros spoke. Jak went over to the table.  
"Yea…father and I would sit right here…he'd quiz me on meetings, strategies, debates…anything that a prince and future King should know." Jak spread his arms out, illustrating his point, "He was a strict man, but he loved me and I respected him."  
"Yes…" Alexnadros whispered. Jak then rushed over to the couch.  
"And this couch…I remember I fell asleep in mother's lap one time when I was sick, she sang me a song…a special song."  
"A special song." Alexandros came close. Jak nodded, then was silent, his face in a slight cringe, as if he was trying to remember something.

_"Silence did the world sound at first…  
Never managing to utter a word  
Then a light came from above  
A glorious light I have seen  
Beautiful and magical, it shone up a light…"_

The Queen stared as Jak softly sang the song. He was awfully quiet, but got a bit louder as he sang.

"_Great Precursors gave us life.  
Enriched our world with green and aqua…  
Power of Good and hope shone through  
Never aware of the chaos that grew  
Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain  
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds  
I live in another part of the world  
But always know I am here."_

The Queen came and smiled, she repeated…

"_Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain  
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds  
I live in another part of the world  
But always know I am here."_

Jak turned around to face her and it seemed like a whole new light opened on him.  
"You are Christof." The Queen lightly smiled, "…That song is only known to the royal family…I'm not sure how, but you are that small boy…it means Christof of right now, the young one will be safe."  
Jak had no idea what to do…all he could do was hug his grandmother. Every single time, every single memory during his time in Sandover and before now, he always had questions of his life, his past, his destiny, and his connection with the Precursors. Although he still had many questions of his life, Jak, for once knew…every last ounce of it…he was Prince Christof…more importantly…he was home.  
**To Be Continued…**


	26. The Last Stand

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits  
Chapter 26: The Last Stand**

"_Ooh, my achin' back!" Daxter groaned, "Remind me to stop you the next time you wanna wake up an entire horde of Lurkers, Jak!"  
"Well, it was the only way we could get this…Time Map, or so Samos said what it's called." Jak eyed the oval shaped orange/gold item.  
"Can you believe those dumb animals thought that was some item to worship?" Daxter scoffed.  
"Dumb Animal?" Jak repeated, "And what are you suppose to be?"  
"Ha Ha." Daxter half closed his eyes, "Just for your info, you precursians are consider animals, too."  
"Good point." Jak smiled, then he eyed the other piece he held, "And this…red gem thing…Samos said he had this item, but he had to hide it."  
"Why?" Daxter asked.  
"He never said, something about too powerful for the mere mortal to touch." Jak shrugged, "I'm not quite sure."_

_The two were sent on a quest to retrieve two items: Heart of Mar's Gem and the Time Map. The two only took a small week to retrieve them both as their exact locations weren't too far. The Time Map was a trinket the Lurkers had (Jak tried to ask them for it before ultimately having to nab it), while the Heart of Mar Gem was located inside a hole in a tree that Samos often prayed near inside the Forbidden Forest. Once the heroes returned, Samos quickly retrieved the item and got Kiera to work on it._

"_Oh, I am nervous, confused, excited…all sorts of emotional." He told me. I nodded slowly. Jak felt the same way. He was curious as to where the crazy device could take them. He talked off it everyday.  
"Maybe it'll take me to another part of the world." Jak once spoke to me, "Or maybe…it'll be a gateway into the world of the Precursors!" His voice grew dreamy.  
"That'll be nice." Jak nodded, "I wonder…what is the world of Precursors like? Who are they really? Are they powerful deities? Did us precursians have any relations with them? I bet their world is beautiful."  
"Yes, I'm sure." I slowly nodded.  
"I always wanted to know what a Precursor looked like!" Jak gasped, filled with energy that I've never before witness in him, "I hope it is a Precursor World…I would be the first precursian to see it!"  
"Yes, yes, I'm sure."  
"Uncle…why are you so upset?" Jak asked, "You like it when I speak of the Precursors."  
"Nothing, my boy." I smiled softly, "You should be going to bed, you have school tomorrow."  
"I'm too excited to sleep." Jak clapped his hands together, "The machine that will take us is almost done…Oh…the possibilities."  
"Hmmm."  
"Uncle…I'm worried, you've been upset for so long now." Jak's smile turned into a frown, "Please tell me what's wrong."  
"Nothing is wrong." I harshly spoke. I couldn't believe I spoke in that tone to the boy.  
"Uncle…you said we shouldn't lie to each other." Jak was now completely frowning, "I never hide anything from you, why do you hide from me?"  
"Don't QUESTION me!" I stood up from the chair I was sitting on. Jak gasped and flinched a little, "Nothing…NOTHING is wrong with me!"  
"Un-Uncle…"  
"Go to your room! STOP asking me these types of questions!" I shouted. Jak looked like he was going to cry. His face was red and he was flinching. I kept my angry appearance until Jak slowly left and went up to his room.  
It was after he did leave that I suddenly realized what I did: I yelled at him. For the first time in my life…I was angry at him. Jak…he wasn't used to me yelling at him. What if he never wanted to speak to me again? What if I scarred him for life? What if…he would no longer trust me? What if?_

_Suddenly, I felt like I was living alone again._

………………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 15 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"I understand…"  
"What?" Ashelin turned to face Jak. Jak and Alexandros finished their talk and everyone was allowed in. She then went to get some tea made after explaining to them all on who Jak truly is. Naturally, most of them had the same reaction of shock and utter confusion. Jak was alone in his couch as the others stared down at him in different seating. He had himself holding his knees with his arms, the tip of his feet sticking out from the couch. Everyone kept staring at him. No words, no coughs, not even a blink. Jak didn't bother eyeing them anymore and just stared at the floor, thinking. He didn't answer Ashelin's "What?"  
Alexandros finally came with a maid who brought in tea. She eyed Jak.  
"Christof!" She spoke harshly. Jak snapped from his own thoughts and eyed her.  
"Feet off the couch!" She snapped, "A proper prince has a respective method of sitting down." Jak, silently, sat his feet properly down on the ground.  
"That's better." Alexandros was impressive. Despite this overwhelming throw of emotions, she kept a cool and calm head. Her time when she was ranging as Queen till now has earned her a reputation as a cold woman who doesn't flinch, no matter how devastating the situation was, "Now, drink your tea." she slid the small white cup decorated with pink and blue flowers to him.  
"Come on, this is the teacup you always drink out of." Jak eyed the little thing filled with brown liquid, and then slowly took it. He smelt it and holding the cup with both hands, he slowly sipped it. Just like his time with his uncle.  
"You've lost a lot of proper etiquette." Alexandros spoke, "When you sip tea, you hold the cup by the handles on one hand, the saucer on the other and-"  
"Grandma!" Ashelin scoffed, "Please! This is an emotional time for all of us."  
"Ashelin…it's…it's alright." Jak softly spoke. He gently placed his tea down, "…I…I missed it. Grandmother's little tips she always said to me and the others…" Jak closed his eyes, seemingly like he was envisioning what he just said. He had a very mystical tone. But then, to Daxter, his closest friend, it felt like Jak completely changed in front of him, physically and mentally. To him, he didn't know Jak: best friend of Sandover since they were kids, he saw…well, a total stranger.  
"Jak, what did you understand?" Ashelin softly asked.  
"…I understand now why my Uncle was so sad and angry during out last months together." Jak spoke in an eerie, yet calm voice, "I was going to leave him."  
"Jak, Kiera's building a Rift Ride back home." Daxter stated, "You can always go back…after all, your younger self is ruling, not you."  
"Don't you get it?" Jak raised his voice a little, yet retaining the gentleness, "My younger self IS going to Sandover. That's why I couldn't remember anything further back then. The first thing I remembered until now was seeing my Uncle for the first time. Now…I remember everything."  
"What are you saying, Jak?" Daxter gasped.  
"Daxter…I can't leave." Jak shook his head, "…I…I can't…this is my home. I belong here."  
"Jak…" Daxter stood up, "Are you saying you're not coming home with me!" Daxter shouted.  
"I can't." Jak shook his head.  
"THAT'S A LOAD OF YAKOW!" Daxter screeched, "Royal or not, traditions of not, it's YOU who makes the choice, your heart, not the choices that's been established for ya! Don't give me this crap! You miss Sandover and I know you want to go back!"  
"Jak…are you going to go back?" Ashelin asked, "After all this?"  
"I…I don't know." Jak shook his head again, "…I need time to think." He started to leave.  
"Wait, where are you going?" Ashelin cried.  
"To the Weapon's Factory." Jak answered, "I have to go. I have to not only save myself, but everyone else." Everyone eyed him, all with a concerned face except the Queen who kept that cool face still.  
"Wait, so…even with all this happening, you're just…gonna…go?" Daxter asked, "I thought I didn't know you when you turned all nasty! Then you started turning back to the Jak I knew…but it was cut off when you started to have freaky visions and stuff! NOW, you're the prince of freakin' Haven City!"  
"Haven Kingdom!" Alexandros corrected.  
"WHATEVER!" Daxter screamed, "Jak, I don't know you anymore! Heck! I don't think I should call you "Jak" anymore! I don't understand all this!"  
"I understand if you don't want to come." Jak softly spoke, "I must feel like a total stranger to you. I feel many different emotions: confusion, sadness, frustration, but…I still have to do this. I don't know where I'm going to go when this is done, what I'm going to do when this is done, but I know going to the Weapon's Factory is a must." Everyone still stared at him. It's like they lost faith in him. Then Alexandros came to him.  
"It's a bit nippy, so do be careful. You get sick very easily." She said, still in a cool voice, but a tinge felt a bit of concern towards him. Jak smiled slightly, but not much.  
"Thank you." And he left the others. Silence befell on them all.  
"Is something wrong, Ashelin?" Alexandros asked.  
"…Feels like I'm…forgetting something." She answered.

…………………

**Weapons Factory**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 15 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Normally, Jak would have asked where the Weapon's Factory was, but right after he discovered he was the heir to the Haven throne, everything came back into his head. It's as if a sponge absorbed water nearby. Jak knew where the Weapon's Factory was. He was there before. He headed for the red cab in the port area. Once there, a KG guard was standing in front of it.

"I'm sorry, but this cab is off-limits." The KG guard said.  
"Please, sir, I have to get on."  
"Sorry, no one is allowed." The KG spoke, "The Baron ordered an issue that NO ONE is allowed in or out of the city." Jak groaned, then grabbed the KG and pushed him in the water.  
"I HAVE to do this!" Jak cried to the KG who swam up until his head and arms showed up from the water, "For the good of us all!" Then he went inside and saw no one was inside the vehicle. Jak groaned, and then left the back seat, climbed into the front and stared up the machine. Jak gave a "yes" as the machine worked on him, then flew it off. He's never flown it before. It was different from a zoomer, so he had a bit of trouble, but he manage to reach the launch pad with little problem. Once out, he ran up a few rocky steps (literally) until he reached for the door in front of him. A metal door. Taking out the card Ashelin gave him, he opened the door and started to climb up to the top.

The entire place was messy, like an unkempt nuclear waste plant. The entire bottom floor was green liquid of mixed chemicals. Platforms and elevators were the only way to get across. No one has built in railings, so one mishap and you'd die a burning death. So, Jak kept nimble and swift as he slowly took caution when walking while disgusted over the unkempt nature of the entire place. KG guards were everywhere, so he had to sneak in. When that didn't work, his gun made short work of them. The main difference this time was that he left them more or less unconscious or stunned then killed. He couldn't bear to kill them…technically, they were his army. Jak continued his way up until he finally reached an elevator that would take him to the very top. Once inside it, Jak put his guns down and sighed.

Everything changed. Everyone close to him: friends, families, no one truly knew who he was. What would happen if he told Kiera? Vin? Sig? Torn? What if Erol woke up from his coma to find that his greatest rival was his cousin? What would he tell Praxis…his uncle? Jak groaned. The most important question he had was: Will he stay home, here, in Haven Kingdom…or go back to Sandover? If he went back to Sandover, he'd be around the people he was most familiar with. Face it…all the people in Haven, even his family, although familiar, felt like strangers to him. But if he left for Sandover, he'd be doing it for himself, and that would be selfish. He was the true heir, even if Ashelin could take over if he didn't. If he stayed in Haven Kingdom, he'd be stuck with "strangers". He'd never see his best friends Daxter and Kiera; he'd be stuck working as a prince with a possibility of little freedom.  
Jak took another deep breath. He loved Sandover. He loved the beautiful and surreal village life, the simple life. He loved to play and explore, but he's true lineage crashed him back into reality. He still had some feelings that he must do his duty as prince. Such conflictions…which would it be? Should he leave his friends…his uncle? Or go back to what he thought was his true home?

The elevator reached its location and Jak was finally out. Jak notice he was outside on the roof of the Weapon's Factory. The clouds boomed and darkened and rain started to fall. He noticed a high beam in the middle housing a weapon. A round one, looked like a giant grenade. Jak slowly walked over to it. No sound, no nothing.  
"…Kid?" He whispered. Jak eyed his pendent, "Where's the kid? Glow if he's near." Nothing. Jak sighed. Jak didn't move. Praxis was nowhere to be seen, neither was the kid. Something was up…

…………………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 15 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"This is really…conflicting." Daxter sighed, "Conflicting indeed." The young Ottsel was still in the main living room chatting with the others. Ani was nowhere to be seen.  
"This is like…last time…I yelled at him and ran off to the Ottsel colony." Daxter passionately spoke, "This time, Jak was the one who ran off…I'm just sitting here, wondering what I should do."  
"I think we're all deciding that." Ashelin sighed.  
"Jak is a whole new person for me." Daxter pointed out, "But you know, I know it can't be helped. He wasn't aware of who he was and he can't help being born as a prince."  
"I don't think anyone of us was." The Queen sipped her tea, "The matter is, he's the one who is most affected and devastated by all this and look at this…he still knows he has to do something. He doesn't sit still."  
"You make a point." Daxter had his arms crossed, "…Jak's done some stupid stuff before, more then enough to make me wanna leave him, but ya know what? I can't. I can't leave him! I don't care how dark he turns or if he is the true prince of whatever, in the end, he's still the same guy who saved my life from that lurker cave when we were kids, the same kid who offered me a hug when I needed to cry, the same guy who stood by with me no matter how much I was teased and insulted…in the end, I stuck with him no matter how much adventures we've been through. He's my first friend…my best friend." Daxter leaped off the chair he was on and raced on all four. He headed for the door, stared at the others and grin, "I'm gonna be there for him…how about you guys?" He left.

As Daxter ran on, he heard small tears from beyond. He stopped running and listened. The tears got louder as he walked until he reached a dark room. The sobs were unmistakable.  
"Ani?"  
"…D-Daxter?" She whispered between tears. Daxter wasn't good at seeing in the dark, but he sensed Ani was under the couch of this dark room. There, Daxter was nearly nose to nose with Ani.  
"What's wrong? Why are you here? When did you get here? You're pretty quiet when you have to be."  
"I'm sorry…all those images of the Metal Head attack from three years back brought back such painful memories to me." Ani sniffed, "And now, Jak left off and I feel even more upset."  
"Why?"  
"I was a puppy when I saw the Metal Heads…I was a young puppy only a few months old who saw my own mother killed. I was greatly wounded." Ani sniffed back some more, "I was a young puppy born and raised in the slum streets. When he was in hiding from Praxis…Master Christof…my Christof saved me and took me in. He hospitalized me and I've protected him since. And now, he might leave."  
"Ani…"  
"And not just little Christof…the older one…Jak…he might leave, too. Both masters might leave me. You'll leave, too."  
"Ani…"  
"My mother died…she left me." Ani sniffed, "I wish I was never found by him. I wish I had died on the streets with my injuries from the Metal Heads."  
"Don't be like that!" Ani gasped as Daxter stood up, "Honestly, Ani, I'm kinda in the same situation as well, but Jak and Christof is still the same they've been since we've known them each respectively. They're our friends and family and frankly, no matter how much change is going on, he's my friend…I'm going to be there for him. You should be there for him as well." Ani was silent. The bumbling fool that was Daxter could be wise when he needed to be.  
"We'll get through this together." Daxter grinned, "No matter where we go or what time we travel, it's never good-bye if you remember the love of friendship and other corny stuff like that."  
"...I…I see." Ani slowly got out of the couch, "…I have to do something."  
"I think we all do." Daxter smiled.

…………………

**Weapons Factory**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 15 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Ahhh…."  
Jak gasped and noticed something big floating down towards him: Krew.  
"Jak…"  
"Krew…where's Praxis? Where's the kid?" Jak cried. Krew laughed with a couple of snorts, ignoring Jak's question.  
"I knew you were special when I first met you Jak, and I commend you for making it this far." The fat man gruffly grinned.  
"I'm warning you, where the bloody hell are they?" Krew hovered around the middle of the roof, circling the machine.  
"Not here…hasn't appeared, said he had to check up on something first." Krew shrugged.  
"Damn…" Jak muttered.  
"Awww, don't be upset, Bannon." Krew hovered quickly to Jak, grinning his unkempt teeth towards the young boy, "No hard feelings. Praxis knew you'd come, you know. He said I should…do away with you…but…we've come a long way, 'ey? Don't really know if I have the heart to destroy you."  
"Yeah. I'm getting real teary-eyed." Jak growled, "Stop pulling this load of rubbish on me."  
"Oh, my dear boy…you have so much more potential then Sig, you could be my right hand man instead of him." Krew hovered around him, "So much skills for someone so…young. In return, I could give you anything you desire."  
"What?" Jak gasped, "Forget it! Something is wrong with you!" Krew kept circling him in silence.  
"What is that thing?" Jak pointed.  
"A weapon…" He giggled, almost like a schoolgirl which is bound to give anyone nightmares. He hovered over to the machine.  
"I love weapons. I love how they look... how they feel... even how they smell…" Krew sighed.  
"I think you need serious help." Jak commented.  
"My favorite was the impossibly powerful weapon Mar built to blast open the Metal Head nest. Poor fool died before he could use it, ahh well. But I have a new favorite." Krew spread one of his arms out like he was presenting a grand prize, "The Piercer Bomb I've just completed. My masterpiece is powerful enough to crack open the Precursor Stone, and release the untold energy inside! As soon as the Baron shows up with the Stone, we'll hide it in the last shipment of eco and deliver it to the Metal Head nest. A surprise dessert, 'ey?"  
"No…" Jak whispered, slowly shaking his head.  
"Hee hee hmmm... Just take this gun upgrade and forget what you saw here." Krew threw a new gun holster for Jak.  
"…This…is…is….this is the Peacemaker." Jak gasped.  
"Yes, now do me a favor and just go home."  
"What? Not this time, Krew! I'm through being your hired gun!"  
"Then it's war, isn't it?" Krew hissed.  
"There's definitely no use for you!"

Krew growled and launched himself towards Jak who dodged out of the way. Krew used his hovering machine and sent out little green versions of himself. Literally, there were 20 filling the entire area. Jak gasped as he ran off while quickly trying to put the upgrade to his morph gun. Once inside Jak started using the Blaster mode of his gun first. The little green Krews popped by their bullets. Krew sent more out. Jak shoot them some more, but the little ones were crowding around him. Jak knew he couldn't move anywhere except fall down. The little green ones crowded around him and the next thing Jak knew, he dropped his gun as the little ones started to squish and suffocate him. Jak tried to scream, but the little ones seem to pile into a giant one where Jak was trapped inside.

"Nobody can hear you scream in there, boy." Krew grinned, "You can't survive in their long, you'll suffocate in mere seconds." Jak could feel faint. He felt like he was getting unconscious again, only this time, he knew he would never wake up unless he did something. Every part of his body was starting to lose strength. It was like he was drowning inside the ocean, no one could rescue him now.  
"YEEEEEEEEEEHAWWWWWWWWWWW!" Both Krew and Jak slowly opened their eyes. An orange blur came out of nowhere and started to gnaw on the green bubble like substance where Jak was trapped.  
"D-Daxter?" Jak mumbled, even though his voice couldn't be heard.  
"You stupid ottsel!" Krew screeched, "I should have turned you into a fur coat when I had the chance!" Daxter kept gnawing while Krew was about to dispatch more of his mini green self. He was stopped by a green blur.  
"Ani?" Jak mouthed. Ani was on top of Krew, biting one of his ears.  
"OWWW! OWW! ANIMALS! I HATE ANIMALS!" Krew screamed, "They're better off DEAD!" He grabbed the crocadog and flung her down. Jak cried a resounding, "no", but she merely got up again and continued to bite his flabby arm, continuing to distract Krew while Daxter finished bursting the Krew bubble.  
"Hold on, Jak, I'll get you out!" Daxter groaned as he scratched and bit, "I won't let you die!" Jak slowly eyed Daxter.  
"STAY AWAKE!" Daxter ordered. Jak was starting to lose it, but he tried.  
"STAY…AWAKE!" Daxter screamed, "I WON'T LET YOU DIE! YOU'RE….MY….BEST…FRIEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNND!" The bubble pop and Jak was free. Both Jak and Daxter fell to the hard floor, both catching their breaths.  
"J-Jak…" Daxter weakly smiled, "…That thing didn't exactly taste like gummies."  
"D-Daxter." Jak smiled back, "You came."  
"We're friends…Jak…friends always." Daxter tried to catch his breathe as he spoke, "Friends…no matter how much…has changed…we…always stick…together. I'm sorry for…yelling at you…earlier." Jak's smile brightened, then he eyed Ani running to them as Krew fell down and couldn't get up. Ani barked and licked Jak.  
"Jak…we all came…because we're your friends. We'll never leave you." Daxter grinned as he slowly got up as did Jak. Jak then hugged both of his friends.  
"…I'm sorry for all this mess…I never meant to get you all involved." Jak sincerely said.  
"How touching…" Krew finally stood up and was hovering to them, "This time, I'll suffocate all four of you, ey?"  
Ani and Daxter stood side by side in front of Jak. Jak stood up, morph gun in hand.  
"Such a shame, you had potential." Krew grinned.  
"Such a shame you had to give me something I can defeat you with." And with that, Jak quickly pulled the trigger on his gun and giant bolt of lightning came out, hitting Krew in his flabby belly, and sending him crashing to the middle where the weapon was.  
"WOW, was that a…a…" Daxter gasped.  
"A peacemaker." Jak grinned. The crash Krew made on the machine started to spark. Jak and the others slowly walked over to him where he was trying to grab something. It was the Heart of Mar gem. Krew had  
it with him all this time. And of course, the greedy old man tried to grab for it. Krew eyed Jak and the others. Jak had a cocky face.  
"Is it to late to give my notice?" Jak eyed over Krew like a powerful overlord.  
"Yeah! We quit!" Daxter shouted with Ani barking in agreement.  
"The city is already dead! I've sold you all out. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…" Krew's laughter turned into coughs. The machine behind him started to gain more sparks until it became quite violent. The four backed away.  
"Ahhh, Jak... I think maybe we should be anywhere else just about NOW!"  
"We're not going to make it out in time!" Jak panicked.  
"There's a way!" Daxter grinned, "ASHELIN!" In no time, Ashelin came aboard on a normal flying, KG vehicle.  
"Ashelin!" Jak gasped.  
"We're outta here!" She winked. The three quickly hitched a ride one.  
"Oh, wait!" Jak left the vehicle, grabbed the Heart of Mar Gem, went back inside the flying vehicle, then it started to fly off.  
"Ohhh well…" Krew muttered as he saw them leave. The sparks now turned into explosions and in mere minutes, the entire factory blew up.

"WHOA!" Daxter gasped.  
"I never liked that place. Not good for the environment." Jak shook his head, "But no…father refused to listen to me when I told him to get rid of it." Jak eyed Daxter and Ani.  
"It's great to be with you guys." Jak slowly spoke to them all.  
"Jak…I've decided…no matter where you go, time or space or underground or in psycho bizzaro world, I don't care…I'll stick by you 100 percent." Daxter smiled.  
"What if I decide to stay in Haven…your parents?" Jak asked.  
"I think my parents will understand." Daxter smiled softly, "Besides, I'm sure they're sick and tired of always trying to protect me from bullies."  
"Oh, of course not." Jak shook his head. Daxter smiled wider.  
"Still…I know they would be proud of me for making the right decision." Daxter nodded, "They always tell me the heart will lead you to the right path."  
"…I think Uncle will be, too." Jak softly spoke.  
"What now?" Daxter asked.  
"We have the Heart of Mar Gem…we need the Time Map next." Jak sighed, "Let's go back to the palace…maybe we can think of something there."  
"What if Praxis is there?" Daxter gulped.  
"He won't be, trust me." Ashelin nodded, "………Holy crap!"  
"What?" everyone asked.  
"NOW I remember what I forgot! I forgot to free Torn from the palace dungeon!" Ashelin gasped.

……………

Inside a dank, deep dungeon, one that looked ancient, as if it wasn't decorated for hundreds of years, in a caged cell, gripping onto the bars was Torn, embarrassed and exhausted.  
"Why do I even bother sometimes with what I do?" He mumbled to himself, eyeing his cellmate who was as dirty as one man could be. He was dining on a rat he found. Torn muttered in disgust and more embarrassment.  
**To Be Continued…**


	27. Sig

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…**  
**Chapter 27**: **Sig**

_Three days passed since I yelled at him, literally. Jak hardly ever spoke with me as a result. In fact, he was dead silent. I tried to make conversation to salvage our relationship. I didn't want Jak to leave with our relationship hanging like this. This wasn't his fault. I've been keeping a lot from him, but I could not tell him. I couldn't._

_The day before the big event, Jak was busy packing his bag when I came over to him to have a talk…_  
"_Uncle. Hello."_  
"_All packed up, eh? Oh, my boy, ever the explorer. I encourage that. It runs in the family. Well, I best leave you alone, I suppose."_  
"_Uncle, wait. I wish to talk with you."_  
"_About what?"   
"Uncle…I'm going off on a journey I never expected to go to, and…and I have no clue when and how I'll ever return home. I just…I just need you to know that I care about you a lot. You took great care of me. I'm glad you're my uncle and I'm so lucky to have someone like you. You taught me so much and I can't thank you enough. Thank you for giving me a home, thank you got giving me food to eat, thank you for giving me love. I love you, Uncle. I'll miss you when I go away to wherever I'm going."_  
_"BUT I'll be back, that's a guarantee." He added quickly. At that point, I just quickly ran up to him and hugged him.  
"Uncle, it's alright." Jak softly spoke, "I'll be back, you don't have to cry like I'm going to die or never come back…because I will!" Oh, my child, if only you knew.  
"…….Don't make promises you can't keep." Then I slowly let him go. He had a look of confusion rather then sadness, but I don't blame him. He really thought he'd be returning.  
_"_My Dear Boy, wherever you go, whatever you did, I will be right here, in your heart, life or death." I was in tears, "Never forgot those words. They are important. Don't let the darkness take over you, but don't let the light take advantage. Balance. And remember…just be yourself." He merely nodded and I gave him another hug._

……………

_The early next day, the experiments were underway and everything seem to work fine: the machine, the gate, even us convincing people to go away because it was a private experiment (I was in charge of keeping them out mostly)._

"_Kiera…are you sure you wish to come?" Samos asked, in a concerned manner that I gave to Jak often._  
"_Why are you so upset, we'll be back." Kiera smiled, "Even if we can't, we'll figure out a way."_  
"_I'm sure we will…but…" Samos sighed, "I think it would have been better if you stayed home…you and Daxter."_  
"_Hey, where Jak goes, I go, Gramps!" Daxter cried. Samos made a mix of sighing and groaning._  
"_We'll be back before suppertime." Jak smiled heartily, "Like Kiera said, if we can't go back, we'll find a way!" I smiled a bit. Such wishful thinking, but I knew he wouldn't return._  
"_I hope you packed your clean underwear and a toothbrush." I shouted over, I was a bit far away from them, having to horde curious people out and for better protection incase the machine backfired (which got me extra worried)._ _Jak laughed alongside Kiera and Daxter when I mentioned "underwear". While Kiera and Daxter was laughing their butts off, Jak merely chuckled with a hint that he was embarrassed, but it was nothing he generally cared about._  
"_I did, don't worry!" Jak shouted back, "I also have my favorite stuffed animal and my blankie!" I loved that Jak wasn't a sourpuss. He always kept a lighthearted appeal. After that, Samos calmly walked over to me.  
"Well, I hope you do keep it a secret, all of this." Samos said.  
"Of course, don't worry." I smiled, trying to keep an upbeat personality. Of course, Samos could see right through me as he gave me a morbid look.  
"It's for his own good." Samos softly spoke, "He's destined for something much greater then all this."  
"I know." I nodded, "I just wish I hadn't grown so attached to him."  
"Things will turn out alright…for the both of us." Samos patted Jak's uncle on the shoulder, "You'll see."  
"Yes…perhaps I will."   
"Good-Bye, old friend. It was nice knowing you…while it lasted." Samos and I shook hands.  
"Same here. Be safe and watch over Jak."  
"You'll do good things for this world." _

_As I watched the machine hum, Jak gave a wink to me, indicating that he would be alright and that he'd return safely. I wish I could believe that. Everything seemed to work, except the whirls and sounds started to turn faulty. Was the machine busted? I found my answer when the entire area surrounding us turned violet in color with misty effects. Jak, Kiera, Daxter, and Samos all cried in in their own shock and confusion as I watched from afar. It was only seconds after the misty effects took place when I heard a loud growl…a giant monster has bestowed onto us. Little flying hellious beings flew past the gate. The creatures were threatening Jak and the Rift Rider started to move, unfortunately, towards him._

"_NO!" I could not stop it…when Jak and the others and the monster collided, everything was white. I notice I had my eyes closed, so I slowly opened them and saw…nothing. When I mean nothing, I meant no Jak, no Kiera, no Daxter, no Samos, no gate thingy, not even the rail that helped the Rift Rider move. No Giant monsters…it was like this entire scene was erased from existence. I had no idea what could have happen, how it could have happen, but most importantly, why. I was shaking as I just stood there, pondering all this in. All the while, I kept thinking: Was Jak okay? Unfortunately, the situation got worse when I had to deliver the news to the others. I didn't know what to tell them: the truth or a blatant lie? It became obviously clear that I had to go for the former when those little creatures were seen once again, sent by that giant monsters._

_They were small, almost bird like creatures and attacked the village. It amazes me what a time loop can do to one person. My life has changed for the better since Jak came into my life, but upon his leave, I found out there was a lot more I had to do then I thought. All the things Samos told me made sense now. This was the beginning. This was the first sign of Sandover's downfall, but it started the hope of…Haven Kingdom…_

……………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 16 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"He's the WHAT?"  
"He's Christof."  
"WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? HOW? WHY?"  
"Torn, stop that."  
"Ashelin, how…but…the kid is 8 years old..he's…he's…"  
"18." Jak spoke from a distance. He and his friends watched from a short distance as Ashelin revealed to Torn who Jak is. In fact, during this point, everyone Jak knew was here: Vin, Tess, Brutter, Kiera, Samos, everyone. A meeting was held and they should know everything. The only problem was that Sig was still missing. That wasn't their main concern at the moment. They sat or stood in the main family room. Kiera had an uneasy feel however with Brutter nearby. Her utter dislike/fear for them after the death of her biological parents still ran true, but she tried to keep as calm as possible.  
"Damn…" Torn sat down on a random chair and tried to sink all this into his head, "…Holy shit." Torn eyed Jak who weakly smiled.  
"Yea…I know." Kiera agree with Torn, then came close to Jak and put her face down, "Daddy…did you knew all this?" Samos slowly nodded.  
"Jak…" Kiera tried to speak, "…I…"  
"Kiera, prince or just plain pauper, I'm still the same Jak…or Christof…whichever suits you." Jak winked.  
"Jak, does that mean you're staying here and not coming home with us?" Kiera softly asked. Brutter came closer to Jak as well. Kiera made a small yelp and backed off a bit. Brutter eyed her with concern. She only gave off a quick nervous smile. Jak sighed and came close to Kiera when she showed no signs of coming near Brutter.  
"I don't know yet, Kiera…I need to think." He shook his head, "That's one of the problem in my head, but now's not the time to think of such things."  
"Well, until we do figure that part out, I'll be with you 100 percent." Kiera eyed Jak as she gently placed her hand on Jak's shoulder and another holding Jak's hand (squeezing it rather tight with Brutter nearby). Jak smiled back, glad for the support. The Older Samos then appeared and bowed down to Jak a bit.  
"I am terribly sorry…it was mainly my motivations that have caused you to be separated from Sandover and your uncle as well as the others in the village you loved so much."  
"It's okay, Samos, I'm…fine." Jak sighed, not feeling fine really. Older Samos didn't really felt that vibe either.  
"Geez, this goes against all the theories I had on time and space and the 4th dimension!" Vin gasped, "I need to rethink some stuff on this." He quickly whip out a small palm pilot and started to mumble as he busied himself with it.  
"Long time since I've been in palace!" Brutter smiled his wide mouth, "It changed much. Much more drab then before."  
"Uncle Praxis never had a good sense of style." Jak weakly smiled.  
"Oooh, is my dream to be Krimzon Guard and walk in palace, protecting royal family!" Brutter passionately spoke, spreading his arms (and making Kiera yelp and move back), and then he eyed Jak, "Now you is revealed as royal family, Brutter, Krimzon Guard or not, is protect you! Forever!"  
"Ummm…thanks, Brutter." Jak cleared his throat. Brutter saluted.  
"Do you realize how guilty you're making me feel considering I've insulted you numerous times?" Torn mumbled.  
"Honestly, why should you…you didn't know." Jak shook his head, "Neither did I." Torn groaned.  
"Look, I'd love to talk more on this, but we got a lot of stuff to do." Jak spoke, "We need to find an item called the Time Map. We also need to get the Precursor Stone back, destroy the Metal Heads, strip Baron Praxis of his crown, and most importantly…we have to rescue the kid."  
"The rest we know how to get, it's the Time Map that'll be a problem." Daxter pointed out, "We have no clue where the stupid thing even is!"  
"Well, this palace is swarming with ancient artifacts, maybe if we split up, we'll find something." Ashelin sighed. Everyone nodded, then Kiera took out the old artifact containing the drawing of the Time Map and a searched around the palace was issued. She seems glad to get out.  
"Is your friend always jumpy?" Brutter asked Jak as they all separated to look.  
"No…it's not that…it's just…she just…has a teeny problem with…Lurkers." Jak said, reluctantly.  
"Oh."  
"Oh-no, not like that. She doesn't support slavery of Lurkers, it's just…she just had a bad experience with them." Jak answered, "It's something she doesn't talk of often and I recommend you don't ask. In time, it'll be revealed."  
"Oh." Brutter replied, disappointed, "I is not bad though."  
"I know, I know, but it'll take time for her to deal with this. That is not the issue right now."  
"Okay." Then he left.

Jak and Daxter searched around until they made themselves in what could be consider the umpteenth artifact room. The palace was literally a walking museum, just in a cozier, home-like atmosphere. There, Tess was inside. When she spotted the two, Tess called for them.  
"Hey guys, I think I found it!" Tess waved, and then she pointed to the gold/orange color oval object placed inside a glass case.  
"The Time Map!" Daxter gasped, "Way to go, sweet cakes!" That triggered Tess' usual giggles. Jak made a small "hmm" sign.  
"This won't trigger an alarm, will it?" Jak asked as he slowly removed the glass case, "…Nope, looks like Ashelin manage to cut off the alarm for now." He took the Time Map.  
"As easy as destroying a horde of Metal Heads." Jak grinned as he eyed the Time Map in his hands.  
"You know, sugar plum, if any REAL Metal Heads came into town, I'd bonk 'em just like that!" Daxter grinned towards Tess, "They'd be all 'Don't hurt me please!' and I'd be all 'Too late, Metal Monkies!' 'You die screaming!' Hee, hee. Know what I'm saying? I bet even Sig's peacemaker couldn't outdo me!"  
"Where is Sig anyways?" Jak asked, "He's been missing for a long time."  
"Sig? I think Krew sent him on one last mission. Something about using Mar's Ruby Key to open a secret door in the Underport?" Tess pondered.  
"Of course! Come on Dax, we need to get to the Underport right now!" Jak ordered. Tess took the Time Map from Jak's hands.  
"I'll take the Time Map to Keira!" Tess spoke, and then she started to walk away.  
"Well, let's get going."

………………

"I don't see why we need to get Sig anyways." Daxter asked as Jak walked over to the Port.  
"We could use him against our fight with the Metal Heads." Jak suggested, "We need everyone now. Things have become too desperate." Daxter sighed as he nodded in agreement. Ani tagged as well, following behind Jak.  
"We need to take him back to the palace where everyone else is." Jak commanded, "We need to get this over with, quick." Once Jak was inside the Underport (an area off-limits to normal precursians) by sneaking in (KG being everywhere), the elevator took him way down below the ocean level. In there, the temperature decreased enough for Jak to feel cold, but not enough for him to violently shake in cold.

**Underport**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 16 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Now what?" Daxter asked.  
"We have to find someway to reach Sig." Jak ordered. He eyed a giant doorway which could be opened by a red button nearby. Near the door were several giant armored suits of some sort. Jak eyed some large glass windows and the first thing he was…well, water. Lots and LOTS of water. They were literally under the city. The entire place looked very ancient however. The adding of the armors suits and the elevator seemed more advance, making it seem that there was an ancient culture built under the city or the folks at Haven have reached this part of the ancient world. Daxter was a bit more ignorant and his first reaction was seeing the red button, mainly him pushing it. The alarm started to ring to warn them the door was opening. Jak gasped and saw water was coming out in a rapid pace.  
"Oops." Daxter mumbled. Taking Ani in one hand and Daxter in another, Jak quickly thought of what he had to do. He eyed the suits, gasped, then quickly leaped inside. Once in, Jak quickly scrambled for a way to activate the thing.  
"Push that button, no that! JAK! Push that one! The red one! The red one!" Daxter cried, running around Jak.  
"Shut up, Daxter!" Jak cried, "I'm trying to remember…"  
"Remember?" Daxter asked. Jak gasped with a face that looked as though he discovered something. He pushed a light blue button and the open area on the suit now closed on them. The water completely consumed the suit they were in, but they were safe, protected.  
"Whew…"  
"That was close." Daxter sighed, "…Sorry about that."  
"I remembered." Jak said, taking a deep breath of relief.  
"Oh?" Daxter retaliated.  
"Yea, fathershowed it to me one time…this suit…the Titan Suit." Jak breathed a sigh of relief, "We can use this to move on, but we need to find some dry air soon, this suit's oxygen wasn't built to last forever." So, taking control, Jak started to maneuver the suit. It was insanely difficult; the giant machine was huge and clumsy though. Not to mention Jak had no formal trainings driving this thing, it was strictly made for Krimzon Guards. As they traveled deeper inside, they viewed more of the ancient city, dark and ruined. Only a single light from the Titan Suit paved way for a way in.  
"So…since you can remember everything now, do you know a thing or two about this ol' place?" Daxter asked.  
"Well…from what fathertold me, this ancient place was supposedly the old layers of Haven City from 300  
years ago." Jak started, "That said as the years rolled by, the Metal Heads manage to devastate this place far enough that it no longer was livable. Sandover might have had some bits here as well."  
"That sucks." Daxter mumbled.  
"Because of our advance technology, we built the city on top of this one, one that was stronger and could better withstanding Metal Head attacks." Jak continued, "This was preserved and left alone for many years, only recently has my family gave permission for archeologists to wander and explore to find ancient artifacts and uncover new discoveries. This could also be an ancient Precursor city. One of those two."  
"Is that a reason why Titan Suits were made?" Daxter asked.  
"Kind of. Scuba diving wasn't working out since the oxygen couldn't hold long and with Metal Heads nearby, they could be attacked easily. They mainly use small subs with water proof cameras or small robots to grab artifacts and whatnot. Recently, Metal Heads try to get through the inside of the city through this place, so that's why the Titan Suits are made. The KG operates them and they keep a daily check on the Underport."  
"Why don't they just shut this whole place up?" Daxter asked.  
"That would upset archaeologists who explore this place for new artifacts." Jak answered, "Not to mention this place is still part of our history, we shouldn't merely try to forget it." Daxter slowly nodded with Ani following behind in agreement.  
"The Ruby Key is said to open up the doors of this ancient part of Haven." Jak continued further, "I'm not so sure why Krew would want Sig to open up doors for him though."  
"Duh!" Daxter cried, "This place is swarming with treasures and I'm sure if Krew was alive, he'd love to get his fat, greasy hands on them, not to mention Metal Heads."  
"True." Jak nodded.  
The titan suit continued up as it weaved its way around the ancient city. Jak carefully removed the doors as he made through. What seemed like endless water finally came to an end when Jak saw light from above. With new hope, Jak moved the machine up some large, sturdy steps, and made his way up. They were right, everything was solid land. No water, meaning air would be provided. Jak and the others quickly got off the Titan Suit the moment they were on solid land. Daxter leaped around and kissed the ground.

………………

"Ahh, dry land." Daxter sighed. Jak noticed another Titan Suit was there. More then likely, Sig took one to get here.  
"The torches are lit." Ani softly spoke to Daxter. She barked to let this info be known to Jak. Jak, too eyed it.  
"Did Sig light ALL these torches?" Jak gasped, "I guess we should find out."  
"I knew you'd say that." Daxter sighed. The foursome traveled some distance. The pathway was a straight line filled with glass windows on each side of the wall. It was quite a sight as fish swam by with relative ease. It was almost like an aquarium. As they continued the far off path, the heroes heard distant gun shouts and LOTS of cursing. Concerned, they ran towards the hallway and suddenly stopped when they saw a familiar face shooting.  
"SIG! Hey there, tough guy. " Jak waved, but immediately ducked when Sig shot in his direction. Sig continued shooting from whence he was, a giant block protecting him as shield.  
"Get your skinny ass over here and start shooting!" Sig ordered. Jak quickly scrambled to Sig as did the others.  
"Man, was I set up! Krew sent me down here to open some old doors with that Ruby Key you found, and when I did, Metal Heads came streaming in from some passage outside the city walls... Just like they were waiting for me! There's one!" He shot one coming from the walls.  
"Krew's dead." Jak answered.  
"Yeah? Well he's lucky! Because he would not want me to catch him alive!" Sig was obviously pissed. "The Metal Heads must have promised Krew plenty for him to betray the whole city like this." Daxter came in.  
"He must've had a done deal with the Metal Heads sometime when he was with Praxis…maybe he influenced him." Jak pondered, "Still, I wouldn't put it past him if he wanted this city's old treasures." Sig listen to all this as he fired.  
"Hmph! I swear I'm gonna dance on Krew's grave when all this is done!" Sig mumbled.  
"Whatever happened to "you can't trust Krew" that you told me months ago?" Jak teased.  
"You hush your mouth!" Sig snapped, which prompted Jak to laugh a bit.  
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Jak smiled, taking out his morph gun.  
"Alright, with a second man, I think I'll be better off." Sig stood up, "Let's go!"  
And so, Jak and Sig used their knowledge of guns and kept the metal Heads at bay as they travel to find some exit out.  
"Perhaps the Ruby Key can find some gateway outta here." Sig gestured, "So, why are you here?"  
"We were looking for you." Jak spoke, "We need you…we need everyone we can. Things are starting to turn grim. Praxis did have a machine to crack open the Stone, but we destroyed it in the Weapon's Factory, but he still has the kid."  
"You still haven't gotten the little tyke back?" Sig sighed.  
"Stop joking, Sig, this is serious!" Jak shot a random Metal Head. The range of heroes was moving around in different places, taking numerous paths.  
"Did you lit all these torches?" Daxter asked.  
"It's been lit since I got here." Sig replied.  
"I wonder…if people still live down here then." Jak pondered, "That would be most interesting indeed…what am I saying, I can't think of this now!" Jak's pondering was also halted when he bumped into Sig who automatically stopped running.  
"Alright…I think we're lost." Sig gulped, "This could pose a problem."  
"Well, what do we do?" Daxter asked, "Jak, do something." Jak sighed and eyed his pendent half. He held it tightly and asked if it could point the way out. Almost immediately, the pendent responded with a glow and it was practically dragging Jak to the exit. Everyone else followed while the still dragged Jak tried to maintain some balance on his two feet.  
"Gosh, there's a lot about that kid that scares me." Sig spoke as he ran behind Jak.  
"You and me both, Sig." Daxter mumbled. Jak had led the heroes to a long hallway…which, unfortunately most of the floorings has been destroyed, leaving a series of platforms.  
"Looks like we're jumping." Sig grinned. Jak slowly nodded, his pendent still glowing. Sig's grin turned into a frown. He heard something. The ceiling crumbled a little.  
"This doesn't sound very good." Daxter gulped. Ani tucked her tail between her leg and her ears drooped.  
"Something is wrong." Ani whispered to Daxter.  
Jak and Sig slowly turned around to face a wall and notice what made the noise…because it came crashing through that very wall. It was some sort of Metal Head centipede, except this one was 10 times the size of Sig and Jak.  
"Holy…" Jak muttered. Sig tried to shoot it with his peacemaker, but it hardly even stun the creature. In fact, the creature was downright pissed.  
"Shootin' this one is only going to make him mad. RUN!" Sig ordered. Jak and the gang didn't have to be told twice, the heroes split like no tomorrow. The problem was the fact that the centipede Metal Head giant was awfully big and awfully fast.  
"Aren't big things supposed to be slow!" Daxter screamed.  
"Proves not all sayings are true!" Jak yelled. Because of the lack of floors, the heroes had to jump most of the time which really hinder their speed. The centipede walked over the platforms like it was freshly made floors. Even when climbing onto higher ledges, the centipede managed to catch up. All the while, Jak had to lead the way as his pendent was the only thing keeping them from getting lost or worse, a dead end where the centipede could dine them for lunch.  
"We're close, I can feel it!" Jak gasped. Close was right, but fate didn't like to agree with our heroes as a giant gap was blocking them from the exit on the other side.  
"Oh, now what?" Daxter screamed as they ran near it.  
"We jump!" Jak ordered, then he scooped up Ani (Daxter already being on Jak's shoulder) and gaining more speed, Jak made a daring leap. One mishap and he'd plummet to the dark bottomless pit. Jak felt like he was holding his breath, not to mention as though time has slowed down for him. Before he even knew, Jak's feet firmly hit the ground, but he almost tipped over. Ani quickly left his arm and pulled his shirt, dragging him to safely. Sig was the next to run and jump.  
"Sig, come on, you can do it!" Jak shouted.  
"Just hold still, you cherries, I'm gonna show you my leap of faith!" Sig's optimism boomed.  
"Leap of faith…" Daxter eyed Sig in a weird manner, "Can you BE anymore corny?" Sig screamed as he  
leaped from the tip of the edge, feeling the same as Jak in that time seem to have slowed down for him. He didn't land firmly on the other side, but instead, he was starting to fall.  
"AHHH!" Sig screamed.  
"SIG!" Jak screamed. Before anyone could say anything or react, Sig was now holding onto Jak for dear life. The giant centipede, ambitious to get Jak and the others tried to jump as well, but its huge size caused it to fall. Well, one problem was solved.  
"UGH! SIG, hold on! Jak groaned. The man was heavy, but he refused to let go, no matter how much he felt as though his arms would rip off from the rest of his body.  
"Jak, just let me go, you'll fall, too!" Sig cried. Jak was slowly slipping, but the young boy refused to let go. He was sweating even more intensely then he did while running.  
"NO! NO BODY…DIES…NOT…ANYMORE!" Jak screamed, "NOBODY…GETS…HURT…NOT LIKE…NOT LIKE EROL! NOT LIKE MY PARENTS!" And with renewed strength, Jak hoisted Sig up. Both men took this time to catch their breath. Sig eyed Jak who was lying on the cold floor, gasping for air.  
"You are the CRAZIEST kid I have ever met!" Sig cried out, then he smiled, "And that's why I like you…Thanks…for saving me. I owe you."  
"Just join us in our fight." Jak gasped.  
"You betcha! HA! HA! Now you boys are real Wastelanders!" Sig stood up, filled with energy once more, "I say it's time we take this fight to the Metal Head leader himself! What a trophy he'd make! We find a way to juice up Mar's ol' gun, and then boom baby, we storm the nest, guns blazing! Hell! We'll take 'em all on, together! You and me! Side by side!" Jak weakly smiled as he, too stood up.  
"What IS this about Mar's gun?" Daxter cried out, "Krew mentioned it, now Sig!"  
"We'll discuss all this once we head back to the palace." Jak ordered, "Right now, there's a lift that will get us out of here."  
So, the heroes took a ride up, used the Ruby Key to open the door blocking their way, traveled a bit more, then realized they were back where they began, the two Titan Suits waiting for them. In time, the heroes returned to the palace where Jak explained everything…

……………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 16 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Mar's gun is a giant…well, gun, that was placed in a specific location to blast open the Metal Head's nest…he just never had the chance to use it." Jak spoke, "The Precursor Stone powers it up."  
"I'm surprised a weapon THAT old hasn't been dismantled by the Metal Heads yet." Daxter sighed.  
"It's a BIG weapon, Daxter." Jak spoke, "I've only seen it once in my life."  
"I'm still trying to get the whole, "You're a prince" thing in my head." Sig gasped when he was told who Jak truly was.  
"That's everyone's reaction today." Ashelin sighed.  
"Well, I'll help fight the Metal Heads and whatever you want me to do." Sig grinned, "I need me some action!"  
"Alright, we'll deal with all of this tomorrow, right now; I believe rest is in order." Alexandros spoke, "Even the mightiest of heroes need their sleep." Everyone agreed. It was even more comforting that they would sleep in a luxurious bed.  
"I hope Kiera will be alright though." Jak sighed, "It was a bit risky for her to return to her shop…the KG would know her since she interacted with me."  
"That Kiera girl and I had a talk before the race; she looks like she can handle herself." Ashelin placed a hand on his shoulder, "Give her some credit." Jak eyed Ashelin and sighed.  
Everything felt so comfortable and nice, but the ease turned sour when hordes of screams and loud noises were being made. Because they were all in the throne room, the heroes and the Queen immediately went to observe what the hell is happening.  
"What th-?" Ashelin gasped.  
"Oh, buildings are falling and I see many swarms!" Brutter gasped, "I is not making it out from up here!"  
"Are those…Metal Heads!" Torn cried. Jak quickly ran off the throne room.  
"Christof!" Alexandros gasped. Jak ran to the immediate top, the roof of the palace which stood out on it's own with its own gardens and pool and fountains, not to mention hordes of statues. Jak ran to the very edge of the roof where he got a better view. Yes…it was true, they were Metal Heads. All of them, attacking the entire city. Fires from buildings frequent as well as smoke. The sounds of people screaming were heard. Guns and other form of weaponry fired. Jak eyed this gruesome scene…it was three years ago all over again. Jak's COMP suddenly leaped out of his pocket with a message. It was Vin.  
"The shield wall is down! I repeat, the shield wall is down! Sabotaged! Kor did it! Ruby Key! He told Krew to open it! He must've sent someone to open it! I knew that Metal Heads would be the end of me... oh no! Metal Heads at the door! Jak! Aaaarrgh!"  
"VIN?" Jak gasped. The message was cut off, "VIN!" Jak screamed, his face completely pale. He eyed the scene unfolding in Haven City again. This was it…Haven City…no…Haven Kingdom was falling…  
**To Be Continued…**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: (12/15/05) **To those reading my revised version, I changed some parts of chapters 21 to 26 (including this one) to include Puar is with the kid and NOT Jak. I think it makes for some character development.


	28. The Fall of Haven

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…  
Chapter 28: The Fall of Haven**

_The months after that incident, things have only turned for the worse. The villagers now assumed Samos, Kiera, Daxter, and Jak was dead, no matter how much I told them they had traveled to another period in time. I'd figure they wouldn't listen to me. Their minds weren't scientific in thinking. They still relied on magic and Precursors. But at times, I wonder if they do make a good point…what if they died during their travels?_

_For months, everything went downhill. These creatures were known as Metal Heads and they invaded the entire continent, possibly the entire world with no remorse for the others. Precursians and Lurkers, smaller creatures, and others were under the same boat with the Metal Heads" We wanted them gone. Of course, we Precursians and Lurkers were stubborn, too stubborn to even consider teaming up to stop this desperate cause.  
Most of the time, we had to fight to survive as they kept invading Sandover. As time passed, the village started to become unlivable. We could barely get any huts fixed before they would come and tear it apart. The constant meetings with the mayor who ask everyone to fight harder wasn't convincing enough. It was a desperate time. Most have come to the conclusion that without Jak, their miracle child, the village has succumb to doom. They believe the Precursors have sent them as punishment as responsibilities of what they did to the boy that fell from the sky. Most of the time, I stayed inside my home which was lucky to stay up despite the constant attacks. I was in too much of a disadvantage to fight. The cane which held my legs because of that one incident as well as many more injuries I received fighting Metal Heads have caused me to be placed under protection.  
Nighttime was even more uneasy when we had to sleep and let off our guards. People in Sandover and neighboring villages of Rock Village took turns helping each other out and watching the night shift. The remaining three Sages have gone off. Where? It is unknown. We assume they went off to fight the Metal Heads. As I slept, it was mainly one without dreams. How could I dream? There were no happy things to dream off. Nightmares refuse to enter into my body, which made it even worse. At this point, I wish I had some sort of contact, even in the dead of the night._

_As I slept, however, I heard a small ringing sound. I turned around and walked, but the ringing sound continued, like it was after me. I stopped when I heard voices, whispering voices piercing through my head. What power! What energy! Who was speaking to me? I gasped when I eyed that gem that Jak and the others used alongside the Time Map to travel to their destiny. Then I eyed this giant key with a red ruby inside.  
"Haven…" the soft, whispering voices told me, "Haven…Haven…"  
"Haven?" I repeated. Haven was the name of this kingdom that Samos told me he came from. But it still wasn't clear; Haven…how was I important? Do I create Haven? Will someone else created Haven? I saw the figure of a tall man who with a square jaw and bright, powerful eyes. He held a mystical sword and a crown on his head. Who is that? The man lifted his sword up and raised it over his head. He was going to strike me and he did, but everything was white at that point, then I woke up. What a nightmare, I thought. Then I realized that I might have had a vision…_

…………………

**Haven Palace**  
**Month 3: **Marcina, Day 16 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Come on, we have to get out of here, all of us!" Ashelin cried, luring everyone from the palace: friends, maids, chefs, butlers, whoever.  
"Ashelin, we can't just leave!" Jak cried.  
"Right now, we need to get you and the Queen to a safe place." Ashelin ordered, "We can't let anything happen to you two."  
"I can fight!" Jak cried.  
"Out of the question!" Alexandros came towards Jak as they all made a mad dash to the bottom of the palace, "You're the future of Haven!"  
"I can't keep hiding forever!" Jak cried.  
"Well, we'll hide you people first, then help!" Ashelin cried, "Torn's fighting for us as well as Brutter right now."  
"And I can't fight?" Jak struggled. Indeed, Torn and Brutter were already outside the palace fighting. Even Sig joined. Jak was disappointed, he was relegated to being rescued and taken to safety because of his status now. Anything that involved him using his guns and other skills he possessed and seen by others were now obsolete.  
"Jak, you have to watch over Grandma." Jak was left in utter confusion and disbelief. The fact that he had to runaway and not fight was pissing him off, yet, Ashelin did make a good point: Alexandros was as sharp as her tongue, but she lacked any physical fighting abilities. Jak sighed and took Alexandros by the arm to help lure her out before he got a contact from his COMP. The message was scrambled, but Jak unmistakably knew who's voice was underneath the speaker.  
"Jak... Kor... Construction Site..." Vin's weak, struggling voice spoke. Jak eyed the COMP for a long time, pondering on what he had to do. His concerned face then turned into determination and he started to run, leaving the COMP behind.  
"JAK!" Ashelin gasped.  
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Alexandros screamed. Jak didn't answer, he just kept running. He ran past the front doors of the palace where Torn, Brutter, Sig, Tess, etc. all eyed him run. They all had the same expression as Ashelin and Alexandros did.  
"Where the hell are you going!" Torn cried.  
"NO GO, IS DANGEROUS!" Brutter shouted. Jak kept running, Daxter and Ani desperately trying to catch up with him. When the two animals caught up, Daxter quickly leap to Jak's shoulder.  
"What's your problem?" Daxter cried, "What's going on?"  
"This may be my last chance to save the kid!" Jak cried, "I have to do this!" And Jak ran. He ran until he reached a doorway that took them to the Construction Site, an area where the entire place was obviously in the middle of construction, probably to expand upon the city. Once inside, Jak was surprised as well as the others that the entire place was lacking very little in Metal Heads, as in, there was none, zip, zero. Perhaps they haven't reached this portion of the city yet. Either way, Jak finally found the person he was after: Praxis.

**Construction Site  
Month 3: **Marcina, Day 16 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

He was traveling with two Krimzon Guards, but most importantly, he had…the kid!  
"The kid!" Daxter pointed loudly. Jak grabbed his snout and told him to "shut up". Jak sneaked from behind them, hiding in random barrels and metal steel lines whenever a KG looked over his shoulder to see who was behind them.  
"Make haste, you two!" Praxis ordered the two KG, then he eyed the small boy who he tightly held by the boy's back collar, "That goes for you. I'm giving you one last chance to do this." The child was silent, yet his face kept that stern appearance. On his hands was Puar who was reassuring the kid every once in a while. Jak inched closed, hoping he'd at least grab the child and make a haste for it. Of course, Jak has a bit of a problem of being clumsy, so upon getting just inches closer, he stumbled upon some pipes.  
"What was that?" Praxis cried, pissed. Even more so when he saw it was Jak.  
"YOU!" Praxis hissed, he shoved the child to one of the KG and walked over to Jak, one hand on the handle of his sword, "You've been a THORN in my sight since you've escaped, but this time, you'll die in my hands!"  
"You don't want to kill me!" Jak cried, "I'm more important to you then you think I am!"  
"Load of cock." Praxis hissed, "I'll make sure your kind never wanders Haven City AGAIN!" Praxis was about to take out his sword if not for the fact that someone leaped down and got in between him and Jak.  
"What th-" Praxis gasped. Jak, too, held the same face, even more so when he found out that it was Kor  
"Kor? Wha- What the bloody hell's going on!" Jak gasped, moving back a little. Kor slowly turned to face Jak with an evil grin.  
"I'm sure you know... deep down in your darkest nightmares." Kor quickly showed a quick show of fangs and white pupil less eyes, "We've met before, remember? Everything's going exactly as planned."  
Everyone had no idea what to do or what they should be doing. Kor slowly started to walk while laughing diabolically. He walked away from them, threw away his stick, and then started to change as he stopped walking. Beefy arms, four insect-like wings, the goods. He started to turn around as he continued to transform. His entire body started to glow blue.

"Jak! It's the Metal Head leader!" Daxter shrieked. Indeed it was the same creature that Jak saw in Sandover, the same who battle both Praxis and his father three years ago. The blue glow ended and Kor was now the giant Metal Head Leader. Metal Kor.  
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Now you see! Without the shield wall disrupting my powers inside the city, I am my full potential now! So for the last time, give me the Precursor Stone!" Jak backed away from pure intimidation while Praxis stood his ground. He has had enough of this.  
"If the city must die, then we all die! AAAGGGHHH!" Praxis ran head first into Metal Kor, with the two KG following behind. Metal Kor grinned at such a pathetic attempt and with one blast from his laser; Praxis was hurled to the ground. The two KG were then disintegrated by Metal Kor's laser. Jak hardly could breathe. The fact that he has had terrible memories of three years ago rushed to his head. He stood there as he watched Praxis slowly get up.  
"I'll…defeat you…ugh…don't matter how…ugh…you've caused so much pain on us all!" And Praxis lunged at Metal Kor again, only to be knocked back again.  
"You fool; YOU'RE the one who brought sufferings to this city as well as this kingdom!" Metal Kor cried, "You corrupted this kingdom and therefore, you must be punished!" Praxis lunged again, only to be sent back. Each time he saw, more scraps and blood covered his entire body. Poor Jak, he couldn't do anything. He even forgot about the one person he wanted to rescue more then anything.  
"UNCLE!" The kid cried. Jak turned and faced the small child who was watching just from the right of this entire battle, clutching Puar hard. Like Jak, he was standing still, not doing anything except yell or scream. Again, Praxis leaped.  
"Your land is plaque with your evil!" Meta Kor manipulated, "But once I have the final Precursor Stone, I will destroy this land and free the people of their sinful souls and create a land of our kind!"  
"You're…disillusion…ugh.." Praxis spat out blood. Metal Kor let out a shrill cry, and then he swiped Praxis with his claws, then retaliated with his tails. Rinse and Repeat.  
"JAK! We need to do something! JAK! ANI!" Daxter cried out, but they were both affected by the sight of Metal Kor. Daxter wasn't, he was the only one who wasn't affected because he was never there during that fateful event three years ago.

After further pummeling, Praxis looked more like a rag doll with a head. Metal Kor lifted the former King and tossed him recklessly to a tall building under construction. It crumbled as he hit. Metal Kor then eyed the child and quickly ran to him.  
"KID!" Jak cried. He tried to run, but Metal Kor was much faster. Using his powerful magic, Metal Kor formed a circular, light blue transparent shield around the kid who screamed in fear and confusion. It knocked the kid off his feet and made him drop Puar. Kor's tail wrapped itself around the shield and started to fly off with the boy. Rain started to fall.  
"I will find that Stone if I have to crush this city one brick at a time!" Metal Kor's voice rang. He started to fly off.  
"JAK! SAVE HAVEN!" The kid cried. Metal Kor flew off. Jak started to catch him and manage to grab his tail. Metal Kor, pissed, waved violently and managed to knock Jak out. Jak rolled harshly on the sandy ground where his goggles and red scarf flew off, leaving his entire face bare. Then Metal Kor disappeared in the rainy clouds. Jak, stunned, just stood there. He was this close…THIS close to the kid, and he was taken away again. All because he couldn't stop himself from all the painful memories he had.  
"Oh-No, Praxis." Ani whispered. She barked and Jak manage to snap out of it to notice the wreckage nearby. Running towards it, Jak started to dig out Praxis from the wreckage. The others helped and in time, they saw Praxis' weary body. His entire clothes were tattered, his armor scratched, his entire body covered in red by his own blood.  
Praxis coughed before he eyed Jak staring right back at him, not with anger, but with concern.  
"You…You are the supreme weapon, Jak. And I made you." Praxis coughed, "…Though now…I wish I hadn't…"  
"Hey, hang tight; we'll take you to a hospital!" Jak gasped, "Just…just let me try to hold the blood!" Jak panicky searched his small bag for some bandages, anything to hold the blood.  
"I…I was going to betray the Metal Heads, but I underestimated them." Praxis spoke, "They…they were… _cough _much cleverer then I thought." Jak eyed Praxis, and then continued searching.  
"Just hang on."  
"You…wished me dead." Jak stopped searching when Praxis spoke that, "You…wished…revenge against…_cough _on me…why do you…try…try to save me?"  
"You need help." Jak's shaky voice came.  
"Tell me!" Praxis grabbed Jak's collar, but rather weakly. Jak didn't know what to say. He feared telling the truth. Praxis tried to stand up and Jak manage to help him up until he was in a more sitting position. Praxis still had his hand around Jak's collar, refusing to let go as if Jak was his life support. He slowly eyed Jak and laughed weakly.  
"What's so funny?" Daxter cried, "If I was in horrible pain, I wouldn't be laughing!" Praxis laughed more heartily, yet still weak, then he eyed Jak again.  
"I was corrupt…he was right. My mind has lead Haven Kingdom to its downfall." Praxis weakly spoke, "It has led you to be dark, led to my daughter no longer…trusting me…led my son to be comatose…such an irony…_cough _…my son tried so hard to be accepted…_cough _…something I wanted to do…being born in the Romanir family…kept out of the royal family's secret…_cough _…Everyone favoring my brother…then me. I thought…" He stopped and tried to catch a breath.  
"I thought…if I became King…people would respect me…_cough _…especially my family. I was a fool."  
"Praxis…" Jak wanted to speak, but Praxis shut him up when he tighten his grip on Jak's shirt, staring at his face. He chuckled again.  
"Okay…he's scaring me." Daxter gulped, "Are all dying people like this?"  
"I guess being near dead…has its advantage…I can see your eyes, I can see your eyes, Jak." Jak kept that concern look, his face flushing red from sadness and upcoming signs of tears.  
"The eyes of the Romanir…of the child…" Praxis smiled weakly, "I'm so sorry…I am…_cough _…I failed this city…but you can reclaim it back. I'm sorry for everything." By this time, Jak's quiet sobs he has emitted turned hysterical.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY SHIT LIKE THAT!" Jak screamed, "WHAT WILL ASHELIN THINK? SHE LOST A MOTHER, SHE CAN LOSE A BROTHER, and now…SHE COULD LOSE YOU!"  
"There is no hope…for me…I am…dying…" Praxis struggled, his breathe escaping him.  
"NO! RUBBISH!" Jak cried, "YOU STUPID OLD MAN!" Jak sobbed as he lowered his head. Praxis smiled gently.  
"I haven't…felt so…wonderful…so…peaceful…since before my beloved…_cough _…Minna died." Praxis's voice started to soften down, "Please…apologize for Ashelin…apologize her for me…"  
"NO! YOU'RE BLOODY GOING TO DO IT!" Jak screamed, "YOU ARE! NOT ME! YOU'LL SEE HER AGAIN EVEN IF I HAVE TO DRAG YOU THERE!"  
"She calls me…I see my beloved…I see my brother…_cough _…He watches you, too…I see them reaching out for me…" He extended his arm, "…Oh, yes…" He slowly took out a small button from his back in his belt.  
"I am…dying…but still, any leader worth his salt always has his…backup plan..." He pushed the button and behind them all was, believe it or not, a Piercer bomb, like the one Krew made, "Remember, the first rule in making a bomb... is to always make two." Jak, remaining speechless, eyed the bomb then Praxis again.  
"Please…tell Ashelin…tell Erol…I love them…undo the wrong…I have done…"

Silence.

………………………………

Daxter eyed Puar who eyed Ani. The three beings stared in complete silence, especially when Jak eerily uttered little word. Jak now seem to struggle for air. Both his hands were clothing onto Praxis' clothes hard. Finally, Daxter came close to Jak and slowly placed his small paw on Jak's back.  
"Jak…" He started. Jak screamed as if he was in pain physically. More hysterical sobs rang through the empty construction site as Jak practically hugged the still body of Praxis.  
"NO! YOU BASTARD! YOU DIED! NOBODY DIES! NOBODY!" Jak screamed, pounding Praxis' chest, "NOBODY!"  
"JAK!" Daxter tried to pry him away. Ani and Puar trying to help, but naturally, Jak refused.  
"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSE TO DIE! NOBODY…DIES! NO…BODY…DIES!" He kept pounding his chest before giving up and loudly sobbing, lowering his head down.  
"No…body dies…" Jak whispered, his sobs now turning into more gentle. He cried some more before eyeing his companions, all with eager and depresses looks in their face.  
"Jak, we can't do anything anymore." Puar flew near him, "What's done is done…the Precursor giveth…and the Precursors taketh." She no longer called her "master…"  
"You gonna mope while the kid is kidnapped?" Daxter cried out, "You have a future to defend! Your kingdom cries for you! DO SOMETHING!" Jak eyed Daxter who gave his determined face again. His depression then turned into ambitious as he stood up, shivering in cold from the rain, but still moving. He headed for the piercer bomb and eyed the Precursor Stone on top. Jak eyed Daxter who sighed.  
"Yaaaowww! Okay! I'm going in!" Daxter climbed inside the machine from a small gap on the top.  
"Man, what a mess a junk in here! All jumbled coils and switches! Should I unhook the blue wire? Wait a minute! Are ottsels color blind? Let me just break a few more things and see if anything pops loose…"  
Another set of silence befell, leaving the others anxious. Of course…  
"BOOM! Ha! Ha! Gotcha!" He threw the Precursor Stone down where Jak caught it with relative ease. Daxter slid down the bomb to be near Jak. "Like candy from a baby!" Jak nodded and eyed the huge stone, near the size of his entire torso. Jak leaped off the platform where the bomb was and was met with Ani who held the red bandana on her mouth. Jak slowly took it, and then he eyed Puar with his goggles. Jak took it with the same hand he got the bandana, eyed them, then the Precursor Stone, then his friends, and finally…Praxis. Jak nodded, and then ran off. The rest followed.

……………

**Haven City  
Month 3: **Marcina, Day 16 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Upon leaving the construction site, Jak immediately contacted Ashelin who didn't exactly greet him with welcome arms.  
"Jak! Where are you?" Ashelin cried.  
"SHHH!" Jak gasped as he quickly hid in an alley, away from Metal Heads, "I have the Precursor Stone."  
"WHAT? HOW?" Ashelin cried to which Jak told her to shut up again.  
"I'll explain later." Jak's voice was heavy and low, indicating that he was still upset, "We…have a lot to talk about, Ashelin."  
"Yes, we do!" Ashelin scoffed, "We're at the port, we're going to take one of the reminding ships out of this city and hide and think of a plan. We're going to leave soon, so if you don't make it, we'll leave without you. Grandma's orders." Jak was silent.  
"Jak…" Ashelin whispered.  
"I'll come…I…I have to…I have to tell you…something." Jak softly spoke.  
"Then come now." Ashelin ordered, "…Please." Then she hung up. Jak nodded and in the right time, Jak started to run. The Metal Heads noticed the shining green gem he held in his hands and immediately gave chase. Jak, noticing this, ran like the dickens. He reached the harbor where a ship was starting to leave, the only ship left in the harbor. The rest were destroyed.  
"JAK!" Ashelin shouted, "HURRY!" Jak took a deep breath. He was already bruised and tired, but damn it, he couldn't give up. Not now. Jak took a running start, and then made a giant leap where he managed to grab onto the edge of the ship.  
"WHOA!" Daxter shrieked, clutching onto Jak.  
"I got ya, kid!" Sig popped out of nowhere and manage to pull Jak in in the same manner he did to him in the Ancient city. Once on the boat, it left the city with the Metal Heads gunning after him. Ashelin and Torn mainly kept them at bay by using their guns. Once outside, the ship went far away from the city, but enough that it was still in plain view. Once they felt the location was a safe one, everyone took a deep breath.  
"Where's Dad! And the kid?" Ashelin ignore the giant, glowing stone on Jak's hands and Puar. Jak tried to speak, but felt catching his breath was far important. Obviously.  
"Here, let me take that." Jak eyed Young Samos who literally grabbed the stone out of Jak's hand and walked to take it inside.  
"Jak…what happen?" Ashelin asked.  
"The kid…he's…he's…taken by the Metal Head Leader." Jak whispered.  
"What, the leader is back?" Torn gasped. Jak nodded.  
"The leader is Kor." Puar softly replied. Everyone naturally expressed their shock.  
"Holy Crap, how many surprises are they planning to shove in our faces?" Torn scoffed.  
"What about Dad?" Ashelin feared the worst.  
"Ashelin…I'm sorry…Metal Kor…he killed him." Immediately, he felt a bad taste in his mouth for spreading this news. Ashelin's reaction was a quiet one. She stared at Jak as a single tear left her eye.  
"Ashelin…" Torn tried to speak, but she wouldn't hear of it. Instead, she quickly left to go inside the ship, refusing to come out. Torn gasped, his face looking in guilt (even if he wasn't the one who broke the news), and sadness. He then eyed Jak who literally looked like crap. It was still raining which made his clothes look even worse. His head was low as he just stood there, upset and guilt ridden.  
"Jak…" Torn tried to speak again, but Jak, like Ashelin moved away. Before he could go inside, a menacing laugh came off. Jak gasped and saw a giant figure above the palace roof. Soon, others in the ship came out to see what it was.

Metal Kor was on top of the palace. His voice rang loud enough for Jak to hear.  
"I KNOW YOU HAVE THE STONE! MY KIND SAW YOU RUN!" Metal Kor cried, then he showed off the orb with the kid to whom the surviving citizens of Haven gasped, "WHAT I HAVE HERE IS THE TRUE HEIR TO HAVEN: PRINCE CHRISTOF!" More gasps rang.  
"IF YOU WANT THE FUTURE OF HAVEN TO LIVE, YOU WILL GIVE ME THE STONE!" Metal Kor continued, "I WILL GIVE YOU TILL THE 300TH BIRTHDAY OF HAVEN KINGDOM…that's a WEEK away…you have till then!" Jak knew he was talking to him. How his heart hurt so much from all this stress. After a long, brief silence, Jak slowly went inside with the others following. In there was Old Samos who had stayed inside the whole time.

"Jak!" Old Samos gasped, "Thank goodness you're okay!"  
"How is…everyone?" Jak softly asked.  
"Well, we manage to get Brutter, Tess, a few Underground members, Sig, your animal friends, of course, Ashelin, Torn, me and my younger half, Pecker, Alexandros, and of course, Kiera. Am I missing anyone?"  
"Where is she?" Daxter asked, searching around.  
"She's in another part of the ship, finishing the last touches of the Rift Rider." Old Samos spoke.  
"You manage to lift an entire heavy thing like that here with you hands?" Puar asked.  
"Me and my younger self used out magic to lift it and bring it to the ship and believe me, it was not easy." Old Samos spoke.  
"Yes, we had Torn and Ashelin to help keep the Metal Heads away as we lifted the machine." Young Sam continued.  
"Okay, that's enough chitchat, we need a plan!" Pecker flew by, "I'm feeling guilty for leaving Onin behind…she should have come with us! Stubborn, she is!"  
"So, what is the plan?" Sig spoke, "The Metal Head has the entire city!"  
"We need a plan to destroy the Metal Head completely." Alexandros popped out of nowhere. Jak eyed the Queen who gave her stare. She was obviously pissed Jak ran off, but kept silent.  
"To stop the Metal Heads from coming back…we need to destroy their nest." Jak softly spoke, "Mar's gun…it was going to open the location to the Metal Head's nest. We…we have to go there." Jak eyed the stone on the bed where Old Samos laid it. He walked over to it.  
"We have to go to the Wasteland and destroy that blockage." Jak slowly spoke, not knowing if he was gaining any confidence or not, "Then…we'll drop bombs down the nest and destroy it. Kiera can make them."  
"Jak…" Torn eyed him.  
"We…we have to keep going." Jak softly spoke, "We have to." He wanted to cry and just lie down until he died, but he had to go on. The question is: How long can this last?  
**To Be Continued…**


	29. Invasion

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…  
Chapter 29: Invasion**

**KG Ship  
Month 3: **Marcina, Day 20 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Christof."  
"Gah-?" Jak woke up. There, next to him was Old Samos who gently nudged the boy's shoulder.  
"We're here…the Metal Head nest." Samos softly whispered. Jak yawned and nodded.  
"Come on, Christof, time to eat." Samos pointed towards the door with his staff, "Everyone knows breakfast is good for you." Samos started to walk off.  
"Samos…"  
"Yes, Christof?" He asked.  
"…I'm…I'm sorry. I'm not used to it…yet." Jak muttered as if he was ashamed.  
"Use to what?"  
"What you're calling me." Then Jak went where everyone else was, except Ashelin who was nowhere to be found.

"Jak, did you have a good-night's sleep?" Kiera tried so hard to force a smile.  
"We got bacon!" Daxter grinned, "Which Brutter seems to enjoy." Brutter was seen gobbling up the latest batch of bacons. Jak eyed him.  
"Right, vegetarian. Won't eat anything with a face." Daxter sighed.  
"Okay, I've manage to order up a way to get inside the Metal Head nest." Torn spoke, eyeing the map he had, it seemed to be a rather old one, "I discussed it over with the Queen. We just need Ashelin in here and we can--"  
"No." Jak harshly, yet calmly spoke.  
"What?" Torn looked up at Jak, feeling a bit insulted and shocked.  
"No one is going." Jak muttered, "No one is going to die anymore. No one."  
"But Jak-" Kiera started to protest.  
"NO!" Jak was stern, "All of you will stay here, I'm going to put an end to the Metal Head nest, and then I'm going for the leader."  
"Jak, you do realize this is crazy." Daxter scoffed, "One Precursians, a million Metal Heads!"  
"I can do it." Jak spoke, "I don't want anyone to die anymore."  
"Christof, people dying is a natural part of life." Old Samos interrupted, "To suddenly ask for no more death is an impossibility. In reality, you are causing death to the Metal Heads." Jak, suddenly defeated, stopped and stared at them all.  
"I know the people you've known have died." Tess stood up, "We've had our terrible causes. I lost my sister to Metal Heads when I was just a little girl."  
"You did?" Daxter gasped, "Oh, you poor girl. When we have some alone time, why don't you tell Orange Lightning all about it?"  
"NO.ONE.IS.GOING.BUT.ME.PERIOD." Jak spoke through gritted teeth.  
"Now, Christof-" Alexandros stood up, but Jak cut her off.  
"I gave an order, I expect it carried out." Jak muttered, and then he left to go back to his room, skipping breakfast.

The Wasteland to the Metal Head nest wasn't far behind, just a few more miles. Once in, Jak would infiltrate it at night and no one would or could argue back. For some reason, the Queen kept silent over this matter for the time being. Jak spent all day in his room, talking to himself, packing his weapons and first aid kits, and studying the map Torn had on the map of the Metal Head nest. It was possible the royal family drew this up quite a long time ago. No one spoke with him; no body even begged him to eat something. How much change can this boy go through? He was only 18.

As night approached, Jak, ready and willing, was about to leave the ship as it started to head for the sandy land.  
"We can't get close or otherwise the Metal Heads will know." Torn suggested, "So, you might have to swim there."  
"No problem." Jak kept a stern, concern, warrior-like face. Everyone else's looks were mainly one of concern. Jak was acting so rashly. The ship stopped about midway to land and Jak manage to swim all the way over to the other side.  
"By the precursors, that kid can paddle." Torn watched from afar (as did the others).  
"He was the captain of his Swim Team." Old Samos proudly spoke.

……………

**Metal Head Nest/Wasteland  
Month 3: **Marcina, Day 20 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Upon reaching land, Jak wrapped his hands around his hair to pull off the excess water.  
"BLAH!"  
"Huh?" Jak gasped. He dug through his bag where he heard the sound and fished out a wet Daxter.  
"DAXTER!" Jak shouted, grabbing the poor ottsel by his tail.  
"We stick together…remember?" Daxter weakly smiled, "…I hate water." Jak sighed and grinned.  
"You're stubborn." Jak dropped the creature. Daxter eyed Jak in an unbelievable manner.  
"I'M stubborn, what about YOU?" He cried.  
The two traveled for a while. The sky grew dark and ominous. Lack of stars didn't help as the entire place was cloudy. Cliffs and canyons adore the land with very little grass or trees. Even the atmosphere had a foul stench of blood and destruction. Jak had the map scanned by Puar and using her, he was trying to find Mar's gun.  
"Okay, so we just go use the gun, blow up the nest, and go back, right?" Daxter asked, panicking, "…Right!"  
"Be quiet, Daxter." Jak muttered, "We don't need Metal Heads gunning down after us."  
"Yea, of course." Daxter nodded, "Good idea-OOF!" He crashed into a lone rock and his voice echoed throughout. Jak, Puar, and Daxter all stood frozen as Daxter's echo continued. As soon as deadly silence filled the area once more, Jak eyed Daxter with a glare while the young ottsel nervously smiled. The deadly silence broke down and the three soon saw glowing golden orbs from atop the cliffs. They were completely surrounded by Metal Heads. Jak, who had the Precursor Stone on his back by a specially made knapsack he spent all day making, was the Metal Head's primary target.  
"Maybe I should have stayed on the ship." Daxter softly muttered.

……………

"Ashelin, can I come in?" Silence.  
"Damn it, Ashelin, I just wanna talk." Again, silence.  
"You've been in there all day. This is even worse then Jak." Nothing.  
"That's it, I'm coming in." Torn manage to open the door and saw Ashelin on the edge of her bed, staring at the wooden floor. Torn sat next to her.  
"I wish I was…" Ashelin softly spoke, "…I wish I was there to witness my father's death. He always told me he'd die as an old man in bed…his children and his grandchildren, his wife, and his other family members with him until he passed on. He told me this before he was corrupted."  
"Ashelin-" Torn started.  
"He was corrupt…but I loved him." Ashelin mumbled, "Always." Torn cleared his throat, catching his breath, then he slowly and gently placed an arm around Ashelin.  
"We need you." He started, "The city needs you. The Kingdom needs you…I need you." Ashelin eyed Torn with wide eyes. Torn quickly looked away, clearing his throat.  
"Look, Jak went off by himself to destroy the Metal Head nest." Torn spoke.  
"He what?" Ashelin gasped, "That's suicide! He's the future of this kingdom!"  
"I know! I know!" Torn replied, "I know that, but he's doing something about it. He's not happy that Praxis died, he's not happy the kid is kidnapped, he's not happy his kingdom is in ruins, but he's doing something about it!" Once again, Ashelin gave silence.  
"We both have to do something!" Torn spoke loudly, "We can't let Jak fight the Metal Heads himself, we have to rescue the kid, we have to save the kingdom, but we need you!" Ashelin kept silent still.  
"…Please." Ashelin stared deeply at Torn and slowly stood up. Torn stood up as well.  
"Did you say…"please?"  
"Don't rub it in." Torn mumbled. Ashelin smiled a little.  
"Well, you seem a bit okay now." Torn grinned.  
"You're just…stupid." Ashelin shook her head, almost laughing.  
"That's what you said to me the first time we met." Torn groaned. Ashelin eyed Torn and noticed the blushes on his cheeks which Torn had trouble hiding.  
"Okay…let's do something." Ashelin softly spoke as Torn placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Good to have you back." Torn grinned some more and started to leave the cabin.  
"Torn?"  
"What?" Ashelin threw herself and hugged the former KG leader. Torn, in return, slowly hugged her back. A moment that lasted until Kiera popped in.  
"Guys! Come look! I know how we can help Jak!" Kiera's happy expression turned a bit embarrassing, "Oh…did I disturb something?"  
"No." Both quickly ended their hug.

…………………

With his new Peacemaker, Jak made quite easy work with the smaller or medium sized Metal Heads. The bigger ones took a bit more time. Jak had prepared himself with plenty of ammo, so that was the least of his worry. His worry rose from the fact that he had to take care of the Precursor Stone from falling into the wrong hands…or claws, in this case. Daxter and Puar kept close to Jak, not being able to do much.  
"If Ani were here, she'd have bitten some of these Metal Heads by now." Puar gasped as Jak ran and shot.  
"Oh, suuuuuuure, rely on the crocadog." Daxter scoffed, "What am I?"  
As Jak ran, he started to climb over the cliffs, not entirely sure where he was going. Puar removed the map by the time the Metal Heads came. As Jak climbed his way up, the Metal Heads (with their claws) quickly caught up. Jak, with one hand on the cliff rocks, another on his gun, tried to shoot them off, but he was at a huge disadvantage. Daxter eyed some giant rocks on the top and started to climb up.  
"Daxter, where're you going?" Puar cried.  
"Got an idea!" He shouted. Once he reached the top, Daxter used what little strength he had to push the giant boulders which in turn knocked the Metal Heads out. Puar, realizing this, joined in, taking out her metal arms.  
Once the majority of the bigger Metal Heads were down for the count, Jak climbed his way up to the top. Grabbing Daxter and Puar, he slid down the other side and quickly ran off. He just ran with Puar on one hand, Daxter on another. It was only a matter of time before he stopped to catch his breath. Jak fell down and landed on his knees, then his bottom fell down to the cold earth.  
"You okay, Jak?" Daxter asked.  
"I'm…fine." Jak's left hand was clutching onto something so he wouldn't collapse all the way to the ground. It was then that he realized what he was clutching onto felt different then the rocks and cliff he recently touched a while ago. Jak slowly reverted his head and saw it was a rusty hunk of metal. Jak gasped, and then stared up as the metal did.  
"What?" Daxter asked, "It's just metal, they're everywhere!" Jak started to walk back and noticed the metal growing as he did so. His two companions followed until he stopped. All three stared and gasped.  
"Bloody…Hell…" Jak muttered, "We found it…Mar's gun."  
"LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!" Daxter pointed. Jak promptly grabbed his mouth to shush him up.  
"Come on." Jak ordered. The three, once near the gun again, took the elevator ride which surprisingly worked after all these years. As he went up, Puar started to ring.  
"Oh, a phone call." Puar then opened up and there stood the holographic Ashelin.  
"Ashelin!" Jak gasped.  
"Jak."  
"Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, Torn snap me back to reality." Ashelin smiled slightly, "Where are you and what were you thinking, going off alone?"  
"I'm at Mar's gun, taking the elevator up there." Jak answered.  
"Are you serious?" Ashelin gasped.  
"Yep." Jak smiled. Ashelin remained silent, and then she spoke up.  
"There isn't much hope now. With the shield wall destroyed, it's just a matter of time before the Metal Heads overwhelm us." Ashelin spoke, "It's not just the city they'll take over, it'll be this entire kingdom and eventually the entire world."  
"I know." Jak nodded, "That's why I'm going to do something."  
"…You should just go through the rift back to your own time, Jak, and get away from this horrible place." Ashelin softly spoke.  
"I see your point. Come on, Jak." Daxter gestured.  
"What?" Jak gasped.  
"Jak, you're better off then living here." Ashelin slowly mumbled, "You have another home to go to." Jak manage to reach the top and immediately saw the place where he'd had to place the Precursor Stone in.  
"No."  
"What?"  
"This place is worth fighting for!" Jak took the stone and pushed it in the gun. The gun started to whirl, "Ashelin?"  
"...Good luck." Then she hung up. The gun started to charge.  
"Precursor Stone. Gun. Nest!"  
"Light 'er up, padre!" Daxter shouted.  
"HA! HA! HA! Eat this!" and the gun let off a piercing explosion, the mother of all explosion, as it rip through the hard, rocky surface, destroying it and creating a giant hole.  
"That ought to wake 'em up!" Daxter cried out, shocked at the gun's sheer power.  
"Let's go take care of business!" Jak grinned.  
"What? You mean, go in there? Ahh, I'm right behind you!" He hid behind Jak's back as the blond headed precursian dived in, Precursor Stone back on his back and his gun out and loaded.

As they headed inside, things only grew worse. The Metal Heads were fully aware that their nest was in a vulnerable position. If Jak destroyed it, the future lives of Metal Heads were over, so they swarmed in on Jak.  
"Oh-No!" Daxter screamed. The Metal Heads covered every inch of the ground of the circular shape Metal Head Nest. They swarmed every inch until not one part of the ground could be seen. As Jak shot, more just seem to come from nowhere.  
"Okay, Jak…we're doomed…nice knowing ya, pal." Daxter gulped.  
"We have to do something!" Jak cried, shooting. His hand started to tremble. These were more Metal Heads he's ever seen in his entire life. This was it, this would be over. The Metal Heads started to crawl up his legs and he tried so hard to fight them off, but more just came.  
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELPPPP!" Daxter cried.  
"WOOF! WOOF!"  
"Wha-?" Jak gasped. He looked up and saw a tall, rather large wooden platform above him. It flew around some more to better reveal itself.  
"JAK!" Jak eyed the thing. The platform was flying because of the giant white balloons on top. The voice he heard was-  
"KIERA!" Jak shouted.  
"Hang on!" Kiera cried, "Lower!"  
Jak also eyed four Lurkers on board: Brutter, Kami, Akai, and Rena. And of course Ani. Kiera seem to have kept a distant between herself and the Lurkers.  
As the platform came down, Jak quickly grabbed Kami's hand and was lured off. Jak shook off the Metal Heads and smiled that big smile. Ani quickly leaped onto Jak and licked his face.  
"Brutter, Kami, Rena, Akai!" Jak gasped once he pulled Ani away.  
"Jak, you're okay." Kiera ran towards Jak and gave him a hug.  
"How? Where? When?" Jak pointed to the balloon lift they were on.  
"Brutter call his Lurker friends to help!" Brutter came in, "Used Pecker as carrier to deliver message for help! They is coming with balloon to help you!"  
"Yep, and boy, do we have a surprise for the Metal Head Nest!" Rena smiled, "Look what Kiera made." Rena pointed to a giant cloth which Kiera removed to reveal bombs!  
"A few of these babies down below and good-bye, Metal Head Nest!" Kiera winked. Jak laughed heartily. So, all of them activated their own bombs and dropped them below.  
"Hey, Jak, is there something wrong with that Kiera girl? Rena asked as the bombs started to drop, "She seems to avoid us Lurkers."  
"It's a long story." Jak sighed, "Don't feel offended, she has a good reason." Rena just nodded.  
As the bombs fell down to the ground, the Metal Heads got note of what they were and started to scamper like crazy. The bombs exploded in mere seconds, destroying the entire Metal Head Nest until it was nothing but a burning hole on the ground. The lift then flew far off.  
"Wow." Jak gasped as the balloon flew up. The sun was starting to rise. He was up in the air where he could see the sky better. He never saw anything more beautiful then this.  
"The ship is close by." Kiera smiled.  
"I thought I told you guys not to come." Jak sighed, grinning, crossing his arms.  
"Oh, please, just because your prince doesn't mean we still can't treat you like the Jak we all know and love." Kiera mumbled, "Besides, the Queen said we could go and we all know her ranks higher then yours."  
"Oh, I see." Jak half closed his eyes.  
"She's pretty mad at you." Kiera smiled.  
"I can handle her." Jak sighed.  
And the Lurker balloon took them back.

………………

**KG Ship  
Month 3: **Marcina, Day 21 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"You…are a rash boy. RASH!" cried Alexandros. Silence befell as everyone looked on at the Queen's face, covered red from anger, as Jak slightly cringed and smiled as he kept getting scolded at and even smacked at with a rolled up map, "But you did good." Everyone's looks, even Jak, was of shock at the Queen's sudden calmness.  
"I've learned from marrying your grandfather the risks are involved when being ruler. Not everything is laws and proper orders, sometimes; you must act before thinking to get the job done." Alexnadros smiled.  
"Well, I guess everything is a-okay!" Daxter grinned.  
"Not yet, we still have to save the city from the Metal Heads." Jak spoke, "Is the ship heading back to Haven City?"  
"Yes, but we have no idea what to do, no plan." Ashelin spoke, "If we give the stone to Metal Kor, we get the kid back, but the future as we know it will be lost in a wave of darkness. If we don't…well, you'll cease to exist, Jak."  
"How far until we reach the city?" Jak asked.  
"In about two days by afternoon…just hours before we have to make the final decisions to metal Kor." Torn calculated.  
"That gives plenty of time to think." Jak then left, "Two days is fine."

…………………

**  
KG Ship  
Month 4: **Ado,Day 2 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)****

The two days have passed by in a breeze and the ship was miles away from the city. Everyone eyed Jak who spent outside on the edge of the ship, eyeing the city, barely flinching. He spent hours looking and by sunset, everyone was outside, staring at him. Metal Kor could be seen growling every so often, impatient and excited.**  
**"Jak?" Ashelin softly spoke from slightly afar, "What's your decisions?" Jak still kept his eyes on the city, his hands behind his back, clenched together like he was a sophisticated gentleman, and then spoke.**  
**"He won't get the Stone…he won't harm the kid…he won't destroy and alter this world." Jak spoke sternly, "I will take the stone with me and I will go over to him…I'm going to trick him."**  
**"How?" Kiera popped in.**  
**"By making it seem like I will give the stone to him." Jak still had his back turned, "The Metal Heads tricked us, we must trick them back. When I give the signal, we'll fight."**  
**"Impossible!" Young Samos leaped, "A small group of us cannot possibly fight against ALL those Metal Heads!"**  
**"If we fight, everyone in Haven will." Jak spoke, "I know, I have faith in my people."Everyone was silent, neither spoke a word. Jak eyed the city, mainly the palace where Metal Kor stood. Taking a deep breath, Jak turned around and faced his friends and family.**  
**"I'll understand if you don't want to join me or you hate my plan." Jak continued, "I'll give you a choice to runaway or form your own plan and move on, but I'm going with mines." Jak extended his hand. Nobody moved, then Daxter climbed to Jak's arm and placed a hand over Jak's.**  
**"I'm in!"**  
**"Me, too!" Puar took out her hand. Ani followed (she barked to be lifted).**  
**"Count me in." Ashelin placed her hand on.**  
**"Kid, you've grown." Torn placed his, "But your commanding personality is still here." Soon, more hands came in.**  
**"You can count on me, Jak!" came Kiera.**  
**"I is doing my best for you, always!" cried Brutter.**  
**"Let us lend our magic powers." came both Samos.**  
**"Ain't gonna be no battle without me!" Sig placed his hand.**  
**"Ooh, Onin said she is in and…well, I guess I can show you what this ol' Monkaw is made of." Pecker chimed in.**  
**Soon, everyone's hand was on top of each other, Jak felt relieved and warm inside.**  
**"Then let's do it, let's SAVE HAVEN AND THE WORLD!"**  
**A cheer arose…the final battle was at hand…**  
To Be Continued…**

…………

**Author's Notes (12/16/05): **I took out the Sandover part with Jak's uncle in this one, other then that, very minor changes


	30. Haven

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…  
Chapter 30: Haven**

**Haven City  
Month 4: **Ado,Day 2 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

The ship landed on the edge of the sandy shores and the heroes marched their way to the front gates. Jak, with the Precursor Stone on his knapsack, decided to go in first. The rest should spread out and enter in other parts of the city. Going to the giant metal double doors that served as the gateway in, Jak took a deep breath, and then shouted.  
"KOR! OPEN THE DOOR! I GOT YOU THE STONE!" Slowly, the giant gates opened, the creaking metal sound ringing in everyone's ears. Jak slowly went inside with the stone in hand. Daxter refuse to leave Jak, so he was once again clutched onto his shoulder. Ani followed, staying next to Jak. Puar remained inside Jak's pants as par usual.  
As Jak slowly walked, Metal Heads surrounded every corner of the building, glaring at him, almost tempt to rip him to shreds if not for Metal Kor who order them to keep their cool. Frighten Precursians made looks that indicated not to let Jak give the stone to Metal Kor. No one was fighting each other. No one was screaming or yelling. Everything felt…surreal.  
Jak slowly walked as a deadly silence befell before him except for the usual whimpers from the Precursians and the low growls of the Metal Heads (not to mention Daxter's teeth clattering). Jak continued to walk, slowly in an almost rhythmic pace, eyeing the stone on his back every so often. Jak neared the palace when he stopped walking.  
"Why do you stop?" Metal Kor cried.  
"…Because…I cannot let you do this." Jak softly spoke, "I cannot let you ruin this beautiful planet, so…I have to kill you."  
"What?" Kor gasped.  
"NOW!" Jak shouted and suddenly out of nowhere, Torn and Ashelin came, barging in with guns with Krizmon Guards following behind. They must have talk them into fighting. On another part of the city, the magical team of Onin, and the two Samos started to use their powers to zap the Metal Heads off. Pecker, although mainly shouting insults from Onin, manage to peck a few enemies out of the way. Kiera came from the sky with Kami manning the Lurker balloon lift. She tossed the remaining bombs down, and then made her way to the city to fight her own battle. Sig, out of nowhere took over the battle and started to shoot in another section of the city. Brutter, Rena, and Akai took up brute force as they practically lifted neon signs or giant lamps, flinging at the Metal Heads. Tess and some of the Undergrounds came barging with guns a-blazed. The Queen was the only one not fighting, but under protection as she refuse to stay on the ship. She was on the Lurker lift with Kami. In mere minutes, everyone got the idea and they, too started to fight.  
"NO!" Metal Kor cried. Jak and Daxter grinned. Jak, Daxter, and Ani now headed for the palace. The gates to the palace were left open, so they barged in and headed straight for the entrance, taking an elevator to reach the top. Once they reached the museum room (where the elevator they rode reached as far as it could), Jak started to head for the stairs.

"Oh, man, this is gonna hurt!" Daxter gasped.  
As Jak ran, he passed a room. He stopped (more like skidded), then went back to that room and gasped.  
"What? What?" Daxter screamed.  
"Jak, Metal Kor is up there, we must hurry!" Puar panicked. Jak ignored her and went inside the room. It was the main weapon's room. Jak went all the way to the end and saw a sword.  
"The sword that can defeat Metal Kor." Jak mumbled. It was in a glass case, shut tight by nuts and bolts.  
"Sorry for doing this." Jak said to no one in particular. He sighed and punched the glass until it shattered, and then grabbed the sword. He ran out of the room and continued up the stairs, sliding the sword on his bag belt to hold it in place.  
"Jak, do you even know HOW to use a sword!" Daxter cried out.  
"Nope!" Jak shook his head, his face filled with concern, yet hope, "I was going to, but ya know, Metal Head invasions three years back."  
"Are you sure you can defeat him then?" Daxter screamed, waving his arms.  
"I'm going to do it!" Jak shouted, "Metal Kor's getting his ass kicked, period! This ends tonight!" He ran up to the top and once he did, Metal Kor immediately noticed him.

"YOU!" He hissed.  
"Yea." Jak glared.  
"Do you have any clue whose life I am holding onto?" Metal Kor uncurled his tail to reveal the kid, now unconscious.  
"KID!" Jak gasped; afraid the poor child was dying or even worse, dead, "Let him go!"  
"Give me the stone!" Metal Kor growled.  
"That's not an option!" Jak shook his head, "I know you need the kid to awaken the stone!" Metal Kor let out another piercing scream.  
"Stop TOYING with me, boy!" Metal Kor curled tightly around the blue orb which contained the child, "Do I dare risk your very life? Do you realize just how special you are?"  
"I don't know how I came here and why exactly." Jak started to speak, "But I know who I am." Metal Kor seemingly answered his question.  
"You were hidden in the past on the hope that you would gain the skills to face me today." Metal Kor hissed, "But Onin was wrong! Now that you've been altered with dark eco, the stone will never open for you."  
"What?" Daxter scratched his head. Jak seem fully aware of what Metal Kor meant, but kept silent.  
"Your younger self, however, still has the pure gift!" Metal Kor eyed the little child, "He alone can awaken the Stone and the Precursor entity, which sleeps inside!"  
"What? This stone is a Precursor?" Jak gasped, eyeing the heavy green thing as he took it out of his backpack.  
"The last Precursor egg! Mar was clever. He covered his tracks well through time, hiding his last egg from me, and building the shield and city to defend it!" Metal Kor spoke, "It has been a long siege. But today, I will finally feed on the last Precursor Life Force!" By this time the child woke up, wondering what on Precursia is going on.  
"Ah, I think you're forgetting one little thing, Metalo-Maniac! We've got the Precursor Stone!" Daxter pointed to himself (which also indicated the others he was with).  
"Not for long!" Using his laser from his head, it hit a part of the palace, the rubble landing of Jak and his friends, stone and all.  
"If you won't give it to me, I shall take it." Metal Kor mumbled softly.  
"JAK!" The kid finally got his act together to see what's happening. Metal Kor eyed the boy, and then slowly made his way to the rubble. Upon closer reach, dark powers omitted from the rubbles and out popped Dark Jak with Ani and Daxter clinging onto him. Metal Kor couldn't take it anymore. This boy's cheated death one too many time.  
"DIE!"  
And the fight began.

………………

Ashelin and Torn made their way to the main industrial section of Haven City. Metal Heads were a plenty and KG soldiers were shooting in a crazed manner.  
"Troops, don't panic!" Ashelin shouted, shooting her own share of enemies.  
"Ease out, move forth! You groups, go there! The rest on the other side!" Torn ordered, "Try to spread out as much ground as possible!" As the KG obeyed, Torn and Ashelin wondered where to go from here.  
"Look, we can't keep this up forever." Torn mumbled, "We need more men. Some of Haven citizens' fighting is doing a rather poor job."  
"Oh, give Haven some credit." Ashelin fired a Metal Head away, "They're a lot stronger then you think. Jak believes in them, you should, too."  
"Trying to make me feel bad?" Torn grinned.  
"Maybe."

…………………

"Bellflower!" cried Mimi. The mustallion ranches were being burnt to the ground by the Metal Heads. Some mustallions suffered their fate with death, the others tries so hard to escape. The surviving ones made it out, but Bellflower was still trapped. The Farm area was also having their moments of frustration as well. Most of their vegetables and farm animals have mainly been burnt to death.  
"I'll get her!" Avery shouted, pulling off his jacket and reloading his shotgun to ward off Metal Heads as he ran inside. The flames of the ranch were getting thicker and Bellflower's mane was tangled in the broken ends of the woods.  
"Bellflower, hang on there, mate!" Avery shouted, coughing as he desperately tried to undo her hair, "Don't you be panickin' ya hear?" As Avery made his way out with Bellflower, both black from the flames, they were completely surrounded by Metal Heads. Avery growled and took out his shotgun.  
"Ya folks ain't getting near mah Bellflower or wrecking mah home, so I hope you like the taste of red, hot lead!" He shot one bullet which immediately went between the eyes of one Metal Head. Soon, the rest all joined in to maul Avery.  
"AVERY!" he could hear his wife cry. As the Metal Heads tried to rip apart him and Bellflower, a bright blue light passed by him, knocking the repulsive creatures off of him. Avery turned around and saw Sig with his Peacemaker.  
"Howdy, came by to help!" Sig then shot another one, "Now come on, let's dish some damage!" Avery smiled.  
"Ya heard th' big lad!" Avery shouted to the others villagers, "Git our your guns and start shootin'!" Lots of hollers and cheers later, other members of the Farm Underground as well as everyday citizens from that area started their own fight, including Stinky Pete who had his own…unique method of fighting that's best not to describe it here. Even Bellflower and Mimi landed their hands to the battle, the latter fighting with a pitchfork.

…………………

The Mar's Memorial stadium held Kiera as she fought with various tools in her tool belt. Even Kiera has her own form of combat. Most of the people have left to either runaway or fight, so it was mainly Kiera and the Krimzon Guard forces.  
"Okay, I think we're doing okay! The people seem to be safe!" Kiera cried. She spoke too soon as she heard cries of help. She turned around and saw three people running for their lives.  
"Keep fighting, guys, I'm going to help them!" Kiera ordered the KG force. As she ran, the three were seen heading inside the stadium. Besides a racetrack field and any other number of sports, the memorial stadium also served as a stage for various stars and sure enough, there was a stage in the middle of the track. The banners around it had "Michel" written all over it. And there where the three people clinging onto each other as the Metal Heads surrounded them. Kiera fought them off with a giant wrench.  
"Hey, are you guys okay?" Kiera asked, and then she gasped, "Wow, you're Michel." Indeed, the three people were Michel and his two assistants: Mimo and Ginger, "Hey, look, if you guys aren't going to fight, then you better split!"  
"I can't leave _moi_ stage!" Michel cried, "I made _zees_ so I could perform for_ peopel_ during this sad time…well, and to leave with _zee_ grand finale."  
"Forget about the stage, get out of here!" Kiera whacked another Metal Head out.  
"I refuse!" Michel screamed.  
"Then die!" Kiera groaned, "You two, you better leave." More Metal Heads came and they swarmed Kiera. She tried so hard to pull them off, but more would come in the end. The three stared long and hard, before two of them stood up. Mimo and Ginger each took a long microphone pole.  
"What are you doing?" Michel shouted.  
"What we should be doing, fighting!" Mimo screamed, "That girl needs our help!"  
"And we'll protect you, too." Ginger stated, "You may be a selfish man, but you took us in and gave us this job when we had nothing." And the two took their microphone poles and fought off the Metal Heads, helping Kiera. Michel watched all this and wondered? Should he runaway? Leave them alone? Should he just stand there and let them fight off those vile creatures by themselves?  
CRASH!  
A Metal Head giant crashed into half of the stage, barely missing Michel. With half the stage destroyed, Michel was devastated.  
"My….stage!" He shrieked, "MY STAGE!" He, too, grabbed a microphone pole and charged straight to the KG, kamikaze style. He knocked out more Metal Heads more so then the other three. They all stared in amazement as he ripped apart the Metal Heads, shouting profanity, not even caring about his hair.  
"IF MIMO AND GINGER DIES IN YOUR HANDS, I'LL BLIND YOU WITH _MOI _HAIR GEL!" He cried, "_ZEES_ TWO ARE THE ONLY ONES I TRUST _MOI _HAIR WITH!" Kiera eyed Mimo and Ginger shedding a tear.  
"That's our Michel." They both said. Kiera muttered an, "Oh, boy."

…………………

"AWWWK!" Pecker cried, "Watch it, lady!" Pecker was once again on top of Onin's dish bowl hat as she used whatever offensive magic she knew to kick some ass. She wasn't too big on offensive magic, so she mainly kept making force field shields to any Metal Heads charging her way or to protect the two Samoes. They were located in the Bazaar section.  
"You old geezer, you should have aimed in that direction, it would have gotten more Metal Heads!" came the younger Samos.  
"Oh, hush up! I know what I'm doing!" Old Samos cried out. He zapped a nearby Metal Head.  
"Oh, suuuuure you do!" The young one sarcastically spoke as he zapped another Metal Head, "Go back to retirement!"  
"You respect your elders!" Old Samos was now face to face with his younger counterpart.  
"I DO respect them, just not YOU!" Two Metal Heads leaped up to them as they argue, but was suddenly stopped when Onin came with her shield. She then went blitz-o and used her arms and karate chopped them. Both Samoes stared.  
"What? She practices." Pecker shrugged, "Onin says stop with the arguing and get on with the fighting!" More Metal Heads popped out of nowhere. Both Samoes stared at each other, sighed, and then both nodded. They combined their powers which killed off more Metal Heads.  
"That's better!" Pecker nodded, "Now then, to battle!" And they continued their part of the fight.

………………

In the main Mall area of the city, Tess was handling her own with Rena.  
"So, what's it like being a female Lurker?" Tess asked as she kicked her enemies and using her own brand of guns she made. It was relatively small.  
"Well, we Lurkers generally prefer males over females." Rena threw three Metal Heads which they all crashed into the buildings, "Quite hard."  
"That's upsetting. We girls can kick just as much butt as guys can!" Tess flip kicked a Metal Head.  
"Oh, I know, it took forever for my father to make me into a warrior." Rena snapped a Metal Head in two, "But hey, I did it."  
"You show 'em, Rena!" Tess winked. More Meal Heads came out of nowhere, but a girl who popped out of nowhere came with a pipe.  
"Who are you?" Rena gasped.  
"I'm Carmen, I'm here to fight! You two okay?" Carmen asked.  
"Dandy." Tess winked.  
"Good, now let's kick some ass, I got an expedition in 2 days!" Carmen commanded.

………………

In the Sea port, the two Lurkers Akai and Brutter were fighting. Kami was still manning the lift for reasons unknown at the moment. He kept starring at the sky for some reason, with the Queen pestering him every so often on why he wasn't fighting.  
"I crush you!" Brutter manage to toss five Metal Heads overseas.  
"Sister told me she likes you." Akai started a conversation.  
"Did she?" Brutter asked.  
"Yes." Akai nodded as he sucker punched a Metal Head, "Well, she not really tell me…but it implied!"  
"Oh, Akai." Brutter sighed. As they continued to fight, more Metal Heads were swarming in. Even the strength of two Lurkers was not enough. Of course, more then 20 or so Metal Heads were blow sky high and upon further observation, the two Lurkers notice three Precursians with dynamites.  
"Alright boys, for the kingdom!" Jinx cried out, "I'm going to throw a major fit if my favorite bar gets burned down!"  
"Yea, let's move it!" Grim came next.  
"Yea, I wanna fight for Jak, yes sir, I am." Mog laughed in a goofy manner.  
"I guess they is on our side!" Brutter smiled.

………………

From atop the Lurker balloon was where the Queen was watching the epic battle between Jak and Metal Kor and unfortunately, Jak wasn't winning. Instead, he was getting tossed and turned, even clawed in the same manner Metal Kor did with Praxis. Jak was now slumped on the ground, bleeding everywhere. His face and mouth were flowing blood while his body were scrapped and his clothes torn. His goggles and red scarf off his face, and his hair tangled in impossible fashion. This was no surprise compare to all the missions he's been through, but so far, this was the worse. His gun was torn from him and laid on the floor. Jak tried so hard to reach it, but couldn't, he's injuries were too great. It didn't help that it was also raining, making it hard to see. Harsh rain in the night was terrible for Jak's eyes.  
"Jak, get up!" Daxter cried as he threw himself to Metal Kor. Ani barked in agreement and tried to nip Metal Kor's legs. Puar merely hovered, trying to score in a hit. Metal Kor mainly would pull them off easily.  
"Jak! Get up, PLEASE get up!" The kid cried, tears streaming down, "Fight! I know you can do it!" Jak struggled to move, trying to get his gun. He just needed to stun Metal Kor with it long enough to stick the sword through his forehead. Metal Kor, noticing his movement, once again swiped him away and even went as crushing Jak's gun!  
"No." Jak weakly struggled.  
"Face it, you're through, defeated by the same creature who bested your weak father. Now if you excuse me, the Precursor Stone awaits." Metal Kor went over to the rubble where the stone slept and dug through it fishing it out. Once he held the shiny green stone in his hands, he let out a sinister laughter.  
"See!" Metal Kor picked up Jak, then made him see the city which was a complete war zone, "The people are failing! Metal Heads are everywhere and the only way to get rid of them is to destroy me! I heard you destroyed my nest. It doesn't matter. Once I use this stone and become my ultimate form, I'll build MORE nests!" Jak tried so hard to speak.  
"This city is dead, you are dead! I'll have the pleasure of killing you in front of the child!" Metal Kor tossed Jak harshly back to the ground like a limp rag doll and placed a giant claw over Jak, ready to smush him flat, "Two Romanirs down. The last Romanir to follow…"  
"NO! STOP!" The kid cried. Metal Kor lifted his giant hand and almost smushed Jak into pancakes until shrill Metal Head cries caused him to stop. He turned around to see the Metal Heads falling from buildings or trembling and running away.  
"What the HELL is going on?" Metal Kor shouted. He got his answer when a giant thump came. Then another. Then another. It was almost rhythmic.  
"What?" The kid gasped. Jak, weakly lifted his head up to see what that noise was. A giant shadow made its way to Haven City. Smashing a random zoomer, the creature stopped.  
"What…th-" Metal Kor gasped.  
"It's-" The kid continued.  
"NUKA NUKA!" Brutter pointed. Indeed, it was Nuka Nuka. That only meant one thing.  
"THEY'RE HERE!" Kami cried, "I knew they would come! My contact worked!" Lurkers! Everywhere you looked, there were Lurkers! Not just the ones from the Volcanic Crater Jak and his friends saw earlier, but also Lurkers from the mountains, the blue Snow Lurkers. All of them were riding on their balloon lifts, jumping down to Haven like kamikaze bombs.  
"I can't believe it!" Ashelin gasped.  
"Lurkers!" Kiera cried in another area, if not with a slight hint of fear in her voice.  
"How many Lurkers ARE there?" Pecker tried to count. The furry creatures surrounded every area of Haven. Immediately, they started to wreak havoc against the Metal Heads with Nuka Nuka delivering his fair share of damage.  
"NO!" Metal Kor cried out, noticing a severe drop of the Metal Heads. The child smiled with great hope. Jak, too, smiled, but rather weakly. He then started to get up. Metal Kor noticed this and sank his claws into Jak.  
"AGHHHH!" Jak screamed.  
"HOW many LIVES do you POSSESS, BOY?" He sunk his claws in deeper. Jak screamed in pain some more.  
"STOP IT! STOP IT!" The kid screamed, his face turning red, "STOOOOOOOOOOP!" Addition blood started to come out from his back as Metal Kor was slowly killing him.  
"You have no idea how much I'm enjoying this!" Metal Kor hissed, "I'm done with you!"  
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" The kid's pendent glowed and blinded Metal Kor. Moments later, the child's pendent half broke the shield he was enclosed in in two. Metal Kor was thrown back from the blast the kid made with the pendent and landed on one of the Haven palace walls where rubble fell down on him. The child ran to Jak and helped him up.  
"JAK!" The kid cried. Daxter, Puar, and Ani made their way to the two as well.  
"Jak, are you still in one piece?" Daxter asked with concern in his face.  
"I'm…fine." Jak coughed out blood.  
"You need help." The kid started to cry, "I don't want you to die!"  
"I…I know. I won't…die." Jak smiled towards the child, "After all, what kind of future would that be for you?" The kid made a shocked expression, but slowly turned back to normal, crying his little heart out as he cried happily in Jak's arms. The touching moment was cut short when Metal Kor once again came out from the rubbles, obviously even more pissed. He let out a massive growl.  
"The sword!" The kid cried, pointing to the thing strapped around Jak. Jak, despite his grave injuries, despite all the pain he was suffering from, took out the sword and shakily placed his half of the pendent on the end of the sword where the slot to put the pendent was made for. The kid took his half and placed his own. The sword then started to glow a holy light blue.  
"Whoa!" Daxter gasped. Jak slowly got up with help from his friends and his younger self. Metal Kor eyed the sword and started to growl, threaten by it. Metal Kor tried to swipe at Jak. He merely dodged it then ran like he never ran before, every part of his body aching.  
"I have an idea!" Ani ran, "We need to distract Metal Kor!"  
"How?" Both Puar and Daxter shouted. Ani ran to the broken gun which was bent in the middle.  
"Daxter, Puar, one of you, try to fire the Peacemaker to Metal Kor. We can stun him with it." Ani suggested, "It's bent, but it could work out one blast."  
"Alright, baby! Watch my skills!" Daxter grinned.  
"You only got one shot, make it count!" Puar cried out.  
"HEY! Don't deny my skills, baby!" Daxter cried, but he soon turned nervous when he struggled to aim for Metal Kor who kept moving around.  
"Daxter!" Both Ani and Puar shouted.  
"I…I can't." Daxter gasped, "Moving too fast…I'll miss!"  
"DAXTER!" Puar shouted loudly.  
"I CAN'T!" Daxter screamed. The ottsel's paws started to shake violently. Ani, noticing this, came close to Daxter and did something she'd probably never do again; she kissed Daxter on the cheek. Daxter, shocked and a bit infatuated, starred at her.  
"Of course you can do it." She smiled. Daxter, too smiled. He then took the gun and aimed it at Metal Kor's head, unleashing a burst of the Peacemaker and hitting straightly on Metal Kor's head, stunning him.  
Jak realized this and mustering all his strength, he ran and leaped up to Metal Kor's glowing gold gem and managed to stick the sword through it.

Metal Kor let out a bellowing scream as Jak fell and landed harshly on the floor, unconscious. The kid, Daxter, Puar, and Ani all crowded around Jak as if forming a shield around him. The sword omitted a bright white glow and surrounded Metal Kor. As the white light grew bigger, eventually the beast blew up! The explosive affected the other Metal Heads as a giant wave started to wipe out every single Metal Head monster by mere contact.  
It spread throughout the world, destroying all the Metal Heads that ever wandered the planet. The wave soon dissipated and the battle ended. Everyone was silent, everyone was in amazement. The battle was over. There was only one thing left to do: Cheer. And yes, the people did cheer. It was done.

"Jak!" The child spoke through tear filled eyes, "We did it!" Daxter, Ani, and Puar moved away to give Jak some air. Once they did, they saw the still moment of Jak. He looked dead.  
"Jak?" Daxter gasped. Ani whimpered a bit.  
"No." Ani whispered.  
"Jak." The kid squeaked.  
Jak, motionless for a good time being, suddenly started to move and cough just as the kid started to form tears.  
"JAK!" The kid gasped. Jak half opened his eyes and saw the kid looking down upon him.  
"Is he dead?" He weakly asked. The kid nodded almost immediately.  
"Yes!" The kid cried happily, "YES!"  
"But Jak, you're a mess!" Daxter gasped, "We gotta get you to a clinic!" During that time, the kid eyed the sword and brought it over, half dragging as it was too heavy for him. He took out the pendent and smiled.  
"Heal." He whispered. The pendent glowed and in seconds, Jak was completely healed from head to toe, minus his clothes which were still tattered.  
Jak slowly stood up to his knees, eyed the kid and smiled.  
"The pendent…I rely on its magic until I am 10…when I have magic of my own." The kid spoke.  
"I know…but you've shown some pretty miraculous side yourself." Jak smiled, speaking sincerely. The kid smiled back, the tears flowing. Jak then hugged the boy. The two were filled with tears of happiness.  
"We did it." Jak whispered, "We did it!" The two held each other tightly as if father and son were reunited.  
"I KNEW we could defeat that Metal Maniac!" Daxter leaped up to Jak's shoulder. Ani barked with Puar laughing. The laughter stopped when his friends came out of nowhere.  
"Jak! Ashelin gasped, "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine!" Jak smiled, "We did it!"  
"Yea, we sure did." Ashelin nodded.  
"Oh, what about the stone?" Old Samoes pop in.  
"It's over there!" Daxter pointed. The stone was not far behind. The child, eyeing Jak nodded and walked over to it. Once he did, he slowly touched it and a faint glow gave way. Before anything could happen, a mystical creature popped out of nowhere. He looked like a Precursian, but covered immediately in glowing light blue.  
"What th-" Torn gasped.  
"Oh man... a Precursor." Jak gasped.  
The Precursor eyed the heroes…  
**To Be Continued…**


	31. Home

**Jak II Chronicles  
Part 3: The Future Awaits…  
Chapter 31: Home**

_I've learned a lot over the years. I never doubted the power of miracles, of magic and wonders after Jak came into my life. After his departure, quite a number of things have happen to me, good and bad. As I write this, I am getting old and I can barely even see, so forgive me if my writings seem a bit messy. Just know I helped create Haven City. Sandover is no more. The citizens of that once small village are now living in a vast city that took 20 years to build. To hide hidden secrets and to protect ourselves from the Metal Heads. I don't want to explain the full details. I think it best if I don't and let it reveal itself in time. _

I write this in hopes that legends live on and in hopes Jak will read it as well as everything else I chronicled of his adventures with me…

……………………

**Haven City  
Month 4: **Ado,Day 2 (Spring Time)**  
Year:** 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Oh man…a Precursor." Jak gasped. There, hovering before him, hovering before his friends and family, hovering before the gasps of the Haven citizens and the Lurkers stood the mystical being.  
"He's beautiful." The kid whispered as both his hand clutched tightly to Jak's one arm.  
"It is finished... Our ancient enemy is no more. Take hope brave one!" The gruff, deep voice of the Precursor spoke, "The terrible darkness inside you is now balanced by a glorious light! We will meet again…"  
Afterwards, a giant ring opened up and there inside was a glowing blue light. It was the same time gate as the one Jak and his friends saw earlier in the past or something similar to that effect. The Precursor eyed the two Jaks, folded his arms and flew off into it.  
"That's the gate back home!" Kiera gasped, "Kami! Bring the Rift Rider!" Kiera communicated with her COMP and in seconds, Kami came with the Rift Rider as well as the Queen who gently hopped down with Torn's help. Kami and Akai took the Rift Rider down and placed it gently.  
"We haven't much time. I've set the coordinates back to our village." Kiera started to type into the Rift Rider, "Let's go home, guys."  
A silence befell on Jak.  
"Jak?" Daxter softly stared at the young blonde.  
"Jak…you are coming back to Sandover…right?" Kiera asked softly, almost sadly. Jak silently eyed the lift, then eyed Kiera and Daxter. He stared at Ashelin, Torn, his grandmother, among others, and eventually the child who kept a concern, but "it's your decision" face.  
"I'm sorry…Kiera…Daxter." Jak softly spoke, "But we are home…Well, I am home. This is where I was born. This is my palace, my kingdom, my people. I'm going to live here and someday, I will die here and be buried with the past Kings."  
"Jak?" Kiera gasped.  
"I'm sorry…I belong here." Jak softly muttered. Silence once again fell. Kiera and Daxter's head were both down in grief, but Daxter immediately perked up.  
"Hey, remember what I said?" Daxter walked over to Jak, "I'm with you everywhere you go. My parents always told me to follow my heart and now, I'm following it and I've made my decision." Jak slowly smiled, then eyed Kiera and Old Samos. Kiera, too smiled.  
"Well, Jak, there's only one thing I can do." Kiera then moved towards to Jak like Daxter did and placed her hand on his shoulder, "I'm staying here, too." Jak smiled with them.  
"What about the kid?" Tess came to.  
"And this Rift Rider." Kiera pointed to the hunk of metal.  
"Kiera, I'm afraid your Rift Rider must be used to send young Jak here to a place where he will grow up safe from harm." Old Samos answered, "He must become old enough to complete the destiny he has fulfilled today." Jak eyed Little Jak who went over to the contraption and started to climb up. Jak helped him up.  
"Wait a minute! It's you! I mean... it's me! I have to take him back and watch over him, don't I?" Young Samoes gasped. His older counterpart nodded, "Ah, grub roots! Talk about being in the wrong time at the right place!"  
"Guys." Ashelin came. Everyone eyed her as she pointed to Jak and his younger half, "We should give them some alone time." And the heroes backed away to leave the two alone.

"Hey kid... you take care." Jak softly smiled.  
"You, too." The kid softly whispered. Silence.  
"Will I like where I'm going?" The kid asked.  
"Definitely. Sandover is a beautiful place with friendly people." Jak spoke, "It'll take a while for you to fit in, but it'll be worth it. You're going to do great things there." The kid smiled and eyed the pendent of Mar he had on his hand. He took it and placed it around Jak's neck.  
"I know, whatever you do, you'll also do great things for this kingdom." The kid spoke. Another silence.  
"Well, time to go." Jak weakly smiled, trying to hold the tears he had. The child's tears, however, was more then gentle sobbing. He was downright crying as he surrounded his arms around Jak's neck.  
"Kid!" Jak gasped.  
"I don't want to go!" The kid cried, "I don't want to! You forgot everything when you came over here! I'm not going to remember! I'll forget! I don't want to forget you!"  
"You're not going to!" Jak sniffed back his tears, holding the kid tight, "I remember. I remember now!"  
"I can't leave this place! I'm scared! I'm scared, Jak!" The kid was practically choking his older counterpart.  
"It's okay to be scared." Jak whispered, "But trust me, you're going off to a wonderful place." The kid finally let go of Jak and manage to stop his wailing to gentle sobs, "You'll also meet a wonderful person who will take care of you." The child eyed his older counterpart.  
"I'll take care of this place now." Jak eased the child, "Promise."  
"Thank you." The kid whispered, nodding.  
"I should be thanking you." Jak pointed, "You got me through a lot of tough times." The kid smiled as did Jak. As they hugged for the last time, bright little white lights came. Pyreflies.  
"What th-" Pecker gasped.  
"Hey, we saw those in the ruined Sandover." Ani gasped. The white lights surrounded the entire palace, the Haven citizens, the KG, and the Lurkers "ooh"- ing and "ahh"- ing.  
"Look." The kid gasped.  
"Pyreflies…they're at peace now and know things will be in good hands for Sandover and the world…they can go to their eternal AfterLife." Jak softly spoke as the pyre flies disappeared one by one. The last one circled Jak and the child and disappeared with it the others. The two both stared at the others afterwards. That signaled Young Samos to come.

"Come along, young Christof, it's time to go." Young Samos extended his hand. The child took Young Samos' hand.  
"Hey." Jak gestured to the child who turned to face him, "Good luck…oh, and trust me on this... (he placed a hand on his shoulder)…stay away from any wumpbee nests on your ninth birthday, okay?"  
"I sure hope I built this replica right. I don't know if it-" Kiera grew worried.  
"It's perfect, Kiera. This is the very machine we found... or will find later." Old Samos spoke, "Actually, built…found…oh, you know what I mean."  
"What? I just built this. After building the first one, I mean, ya know, from those blueprints..." Kiera pointed, "It's based on what I remember from…"  
"Honey, the more you think about it, the more it hurts the head!" Daxter pointed out.  
The Rift Rider started to hover up and was now heading towards the Time Ring.  
"I'll take good care of the child! And don't worry... I'll be back in time for the celebration!" Young Samos cried, "Fare well!"  
"JAK! GOOD-BYE!" The kid cried!  
"GOOD BYE! Don't worry, Haven is in good hands!" Jak cried.  
"I KNOW!" The kid smiled, wiping some tears off, "May the Precursor have mercy on you…Christof." And with that, the machine blasted off into the ring. The ring broke into pieces, closing the time door.

Everyone watched the entire scene with warm feelings as well as sadness in their heart. Jak was the one nearest the ring. He held his pendent tightly and just stared. Samos came to him and smiled gently.  
"Samos…" Jak started. Samos merely stared at Jak, like he was going to be punished for keeping this entire secret from Jak. Instead, Jak's face pulled into a smile underneath tear stained eyes.  
"…Thank you." Jak said. Samos made a sincere smile and stared at the sky.  
"Such a shame... The boy won't remember any of this." Samos shook his head. Jak nodded, then opened his eyes wide and smiled.  
"No... I do remember the light!" Jak smiled.  
"Well, Jak, what will you do now?" Alexandros came.  
"Huh?" Jak turned to face the elderly woman.  
"Haven awaits your decision." The Queen spoke, "What will you do?"  
Jak eyed the Queen and made a confused look. He then smiled and starred at his friends and family…

**6 months later**

**Haven City  
Month 10: **Octeria, Day 2 (Fall Time)**  
Year:** 1 AOTH (Age of the Nations)

"A new era has been created. The city, in only 6 months has never been the same before. 300 years of powerful legacy, 12 Kings, and now, everything seems to fall into place. The walls that surround Haven City has all been broken down for the people, knowing they are now free from tyranny and free from the Metal Heads, now no longer existing. The nations of other parts of Precursia and Haven Kingdom itself has started alliances and starting a sense of peace. A peace that hasn't happen in 300 years. All thanks to a heroic, mysterious boy named Jak Bannon. He's long since disappeared, but rumors say he pops up every now and then, mostly in disguise. The Precursor has also given our prince back, aging him at the tender age of 18, to better govern our kingdom.  
The slums and it's people were getting better homes, Lurkers are being accepted and even started to live and work here, the Sandover ruins is now a preserved area with only archeologists and experts allow to enter, and the walls surrounding the city has been taken down. So much good has come to the city and we pray for many more miracles. This is Canny Macher, speaking. Stay tuned…"

………………

"_You are the light in a field of darkness. The one who made my life complete after disaster fell onto me. The purpose and soul. My life changed for the better because of you. A boy who fell from the sky, truly the miraculous gift of the Precursors…"_

**Brutter…**

"Wow, this city's fixed in only 6 months and the walls of Haven City are destroyed!" Rena gasped.  
"Yes, someone "special" ordered walls to be destroyed." Brutter answered, "Said people should see the ocean better."  
"I have a feeling I know who that person is." Rena stared at the palace, "But let's not talk about him, let's talk about you! You look nice in that outfit!"  
"Oh, well…" Brutter blushed.  
"Brutter, new Captain of the Krizmon Guard." Rena giggled, "I think you look wonderful." Indeed, Brutter now donned the red armor. Rena placed her head on his shoulder as he walked.  
"So, is you father and brother coming to see ceremony?" Brutter asked.  
"Practically the entire Lurker tribe is." Rena smiled, "They wouldn't miss this for the world."  
"This is good times for Lurker tribe!" Brutter laughed triumphantly.  
"Yes, it is." Rena nodded, placing her arms around Brutter, "A wonderful time indeed."

………………

"_What we do with our future? It is uncertain. What our destiny will be? It is uncertain. The Precursors work in mysterious ways. We decide, we accept. Life was not designed to be simple, nor serious. Remember to laugh and the world laughs with you…"_

**Daxter, Tess, Pecker, and Onin…**

A giant robotic Daxter with a pitchfork and devil horns on the top of its head graced the once Hip Hog Saloon. Inside…  
"Welcome to the Naughty Ottsel! The hippest, happenest, happiest joint in town!" Daxter cried out. He had on a bowtie, cufflinks on his arms and legs, and a top hat.  
"Oooh... Honey, business will be booming!" Tess smiled, eyeing Daxter. She had on a lovely green dress, reaching up to her upper legs.  
"Baby, I think this is my greatest accomplishment!" Daxter grinned, "Of course, one as suave as me could pull something, and all the while being cute, too."  
"Onin says she doesn't know who has a bigger head. Him (pointing to the giant Daxter statue outside) or you!" Pecker chimed in, with Onin drinking as well as "talking." They were there to celebrate Daxter's new location. Of course, even after 6 months trying to get the place fixed up to his own needs, he kept it short. He had a special ceremony to attend, after all. Even Pecker and Onin were dressed.  
"Hey, that's enough for you, lady. I'm cuttin' ya off! Gotta save some booze for everyone else!" Daxter eyed Onin. Onin, sighing zapped Daxter away.  
"Trust me, she gets real mean when she's like this!" Pecker stated.  
"What'd she say?" Daxter asked.  
"Something about rubber tubing and certain parts of your mother... you don't wanna know…" Pecker gasped. Tess then came, clearing her throat.  
"Shouldn't we be going?" Tess asked.  
"Yea, we should." Daxter sighed, "Come on, the rest all left, we better catch up."

………………

"_My boy, you must always remember to be sweet, kind, and gentle. But don't be so passive or you'll be taken advantage off. Be strong and commanding as well, as prince and future King, you must be ready to take on anything that comes your way. Balance those two. Balance the light with the dark. But remember to always be true to yourself…" _

**Sig…**

"So, you're going?"  
"Yep." Sig drank out of his cup as he was in a local bar with Jinx and his cohorts.  
"I don't belong here." Sig shook his head, "I no longer work for Krew. It's time I headed home."  
"Gonna miss ya, you were a tough guy." Jinx grinned.  
"Me, too." Mog nodded.  
"I ain't gonna be gone forever." Sig stated, "First off, I got a ceremony to attend to. I'll make visits."  
"We'll see you then." Grim nodded, "We need to get to know you better."  
"Ahhh, the ceremony…" Jinx smiled, "Yea, we're invited, too."  
"Well, then. After the ceremony, it's good-bye." Sig smiled

**.….……………**

"_Do not be upset that you did not say Good-Bye to me properly. I apologize for keeping your true secret from you. Please forgive me. I will not say good-bye to you. We will meet when your time again…"_

**Kiera and Samos…**

"We don't know when he'll wake up." came the head doctor, "He's just frozen until we can do something. We just have to keep him alive till then."  
"I see." came Kiera's voice.  
"You can visit Erol whenever you want to, Miss Kiera." The head doctor spoke.  
"Thank you." Kiera nodded, and then she placed a hand on the frozen case Erol was in. Everything was so fogged up by the cold that Erol's face was barely noticeable. She sighed, smiled, then left the frozen room, removing the jacket she was given and revealing a lovely lavender dress.  
"Ahh, Kiera, there you are." Samos came, also dressed properly, Oh, look how lovely you are."  
"Wow, so this is the inside of the palace." Kiera gasped, "It's quite lovely when you slow down and look at everything."  
"It's back to the way it was now that Praxis is no longer here." Samos spoke.  
"That was quite a funeral, poor Ashelin cried so much." Kiera started to walk alongside her father.  
"Well, he's off in a better place." Samos spoke, "Lots of ceremonies and good things have come. We must be happy." Kiera nodded.  
"But we must also be memorable and aware: we must not forget Vin and all the others who sacrificed their lives to defeat this evil and protect the child." Samos spoke.  
"Another funeral we attended…quite a lot for only 6 months." Kiera sighed.  
"So, still working on your zoomer business." Samos spoke.  
"Yep, I made a room especially for you." Kiera spoke.  
"Can't wait to see it." Samos smiled. The two smiled at each other and walked around the palace some more before the ceremony.

**.……………….**

"_Rule, get married, have a family, Laugh. Sing. Dance. Live…"_

**Ashelin and Torn…**

"This armor makes me itch."  
"Oh, stop complaining, you've been wearing it for six months, you should be used to it." Ashelin sighed. She was in a glorious red dress, "How do I look?"  
"Gorgeous." Torn smiled weakly, and then came over to Ashelin.  
"New General of the Krimzon Guard." Ashelin smiled.  
"A governor of Haven City." Torn eyed Ashelin, "What the hell do we need a governor for, anyways? I thought councilmen and royalty was enough."  
"Grandma Alexandros felt that we needed governors for each section of Haven City to watch over, as well as each sections of the kingdom. Get things in faster order. I get the task of watching over ALL of Haven City."  
"Quite a job." Torn nodded.  
"I can handle it." Ashelin smiled, "There's nothing I can't handle, remember?"  
"Oh, really?" Torn grinned, "Not even your hand for marriage?" Ashelin gasped and turned around to see Torn's side leaning against the wall, ring in one hand.  
"Well?"  
Ashelin smiled, then chuckled a little, then ran into Torn's arms, completely knocking him down.  
"I'll take that as a "yes." Torn smiled back.

**.………………**

_"There will be many questions you will ask. Fate is a fickle, tricky thing. Nations unite, friends live and die, family together. Journeys of yonder, discovering the meaning of true love, and unlocking the secrets to artifacts unknown. Discovering something new, old and new foes. What awaits beyond afterwards…"_

**The Queen…**

"Oh, your hair is_ zee_ impossible feat!" cried Michel, "Mimo, Ginger, _zee_ hair spray!" The two assistants immediately grabbed the small item and gave it to the rich star.  
"I swear, you'll be _zee _star of this ceremony!" Michel sighed.  
"Michel, I'm pretty much supposed to be. This is a big day for me. I'm so nervous."  
"With that attitude, you'll be stressed out! That's _iz_ not good. You'll get wrinkles!" Michel scoffed, "Your Grandmother hired me to be your official tailor and _zee _hair dresser…well, as long as it doesn't interrupt _moi_ from _moi_ schedule. I'm starring in _zee _movie in two weeks."  
"Good luck on that."  
"Why, thank you!" Michel grinned.  
"Oh, you got a present from Mr. Avery." Mimo came up.  
"What?"  
"He's giving you Bellflower as a present." Ginger stated, "Isn't that lovely? Your own mustallion?"  
"Ooh, isn't_ zat_ nice?" Michel giggled in an obnoxious manner.  
"I have a good feeling why he let me have her." A knock came and the Queen appeared before them. The three bowed.  
"Ahh, Michel, wonderful look." Alexandros smiled, "He truly looks divine."  
"Why, thank you, your highness." Michel blushed, "It _iz_ flattering to get praises from the Queen herself." The Queen turned her attention away from Michel.  
"Are you ready?" She asked.  
"Yes, just nervous."  
"You chose this, are you sure you won't back away?"  
"I'm ready."  
"You won't be leaving the palace much, you know. I know you like the freedom." The Queen came again.  
"I'll do what I can. I promised him I'd do well for the kingdom."  
"You are a miraculous child." Alexandros eyed the mirror in front of her, "You'll do great things, like your father did."  
"I'll try."  
"You'll do fine. It's in your blood."  
"I'll…try. I just have to leave with the fact that Jak and Christof are two different people."  
"I know you don't like that idea I made, but it's for the best. Jak Bannon was a hero who saved Haven, then disappeared. The Precursors then brought in Christof, now grown up to help rule Haven Kingdom. That is the story we're sticking by."  
"I can't believe people believed that…well, except for our closest friends and family…and all the servants who work here." Jak sighed.  
"They saw the Precursor with their own eyes, of course they believe us. People don't need to know who Jak's real identity is. It is best left that well. We don't want to pose too many questions."  
"I know, but I can't go of Jak. I can't…it's a part of me. Someday, Jak will return."  
"Oh, really?" Alexandros crossed her arms.  
"Really."

The sound of loud horns rung throughout the air.

"It is time." Alexandros gestured, "Come, we have a ceremony to attend to." She sighed.  
"I hope all the training you gave me isn't put to waste now that this is officially who I'm going to be."  
"Well, I'll tell you what, being Queen isn't an easy job, so your job at least has some merits. Now come."

………………

"_My life, my adventure has ended and it is time for the next generation to move on…"_

**Ani…**

"So the ceremony takes atop the palace, nice!" Daxter grinned, "Isn't this a glorious setting?"  
"Ooh, you betcha, my little ottsel-poo!" Tess giggled.  
"Get a room, you two!" Pecker groaned, of course, his mind changed when he saw Ani. She had on a lovely headset and silver dog collar, her hair groomed beautifully.  
"My dearest Ani!" Pecker squawked.  
"Oh, hello, Pecker." Ani smiled, "Glad you could make it to the ceremony."  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Pecker gently took one of Ani's hand, "And I wouldn't miss you for the world." Once again, he kissed her hand. Ani giggled a little.  
"Look who's flirting with who!" Daxter cried out.  
"Oh, I am not flirting; I am merely being a gentleman." Pecker half closed his eyes as he lovingly stared at Ani who just laughed heartily.  
"I think all of you need a room" came the sighs of Puar.  
"Well, let's just enjoy the ceremony." Ani suggested, "After all, we have all the time in the world…"  
"Yes, we do." Pecker continued to flirt at her. The animals made their way to the ceremony.  
"Ani…babe, I think you look beautiful." Daxter commented. Ani smiled sincerely.  
"Thank you." Ani giggled a little, "I feel lovely."

**.………………..**

"_I bid thee farewell…and remember…"_

**Jak…**

"Welcome back to our life coverage of the most important ceremony of this year! Hi, I'm Canny Macher." came the cry of announcer Canny, "Oh, isn't this just a lovely day?"  
Everyone was there to celebrate the ceremony.  
"This is a grand time for Haven Kingdom." came Canny in a more dramatic voice, "Everyone in Haven City alone has gathered around the palace to see the crowning and the one who is crowning is the new High Council, Count Veger."  
Daxter was on top of Tess's shoulder like he did with Jak with Puar floating over head. Ani managed to find a spot and watched from there. Onin was floating enough to see, Pecker on her dish bowl hat. Ashelin and Torn, hand in hand watched nearby, being part of the ceremony. Kiera and Samos watched nearby, the former wiping a tear off. Sig, one of the few who didn't dress up (he'd be leaving immediately after the ceremony), watched from a short distance, his gun hoisted over his shoulder. Jinx, Grim, and Mog, surprisingly dressed neatly, watched near Sig. Mog was the one crying his heart out ("It's so beautiful", Mog said). Michel marveled at the job well done he did on the clothings and hair and mainly tried to get into the camera's spotlight while Mimo and Ginger, as well as Michel's sister, Carmen, all sighed and shook their head. The leader Lurker and his son watched nearby alongside Kami, the other Lurkers, and Brutter and Rena, the latter holding onto Brutter's hand. Avery (with Bellflower), and his wife (as well stinky Pete), watched from afar. No body got near Stinky Pete for obvious reasons. Even the Underground members all watched and even waved to their fellow cohorts and friends. This was a happy time.

"Ooh, here he comes now!" Daxter pointed.

The Queen came first, then out came Jak, dressed in full white armor, to symbolize purity. His entire face was pure white as was his hair (Michel: Don't worry, the White Dye can be removed by water, it won't be with your forever!). He looked so elegant and at peace. He went over to the platform where a tall, balding man in blue grinned at him. Jak eyed him and smiled weakly, still nervous. _So many people_, he thought.  
"Well, then." The man named Veger spoke, "As Head Councilman, it is my job to officially crown you. All your trainings, all your dedication paid off." Veger kept that massive grin on his face. A Krimzon Guard holding a cushion with the golden crown came over. Veger lifted it up and Jak kneeled.  
"Are you ready to accept the responsibilities and duties set before you?" Veger asked.  
"Yes, I am." Jak nodded.  
"Are you ready to help out your people…well, more so, then ever before?" Veger continued, "Never to abandon your position and fight for your kingdom and people?"  
"Yes, I am." Jak spoke again.  
"Then now, you are no longer just Prince Christof Aradi Del' Alazender Romanir the 3rd, you are now Crowned Prince." Veger placed the crown on Jak's head and everyone cheered. Jak then stood up and watched his people, his friends, his family all cheering for him. Everyone watching this, everyone in Haven City, Haven Kingdom, watched as Jak took over his place. He eyed the sky.  
"Well, Uncle…I did it." Jak smiled, almost in the mood for tears.  
Samos came by to Jak and smiled.  
"My boy, you've opened a new door…the future awaits!" Samos cried out, "Ready for more adventures and mystery that will probably come our way?"  
"I'm ready for anything." Jak smiled, "I am Prince Christof, but Jak will never die. Who knows, someday, Jak might return."  
"You think so?" Samos asked.  
"I know so." Jak smiled. Soon, the fireworks came and filled the sky. Everybody cheered and celebrated. A good future awaited them, they all thought. Any new adventures, any new mysterious of Precursia and the Precursors, they knew they would be ready. Jak knew being prince would be difficult, as is everything else handed down to him. It's not easy being a hero. But hey, he's Jak…

He eyed the sky some more and closed his eyes, knowing he's still got a long way to go. Yea, Christof maybe here now, but Jak would return…someday.

"…_Remember to always be yourself, of pure of Heart. Never forget these words, my boy…"_

**...The End...**

**Author's Notes (12/17/05): **The entire fanfic is now revised. I can finally get working on _Jak and Crash_.For more info on that, read the old author's note below…

It's done, finished, it's over! I finished it! _dances _I'm glad I did finish it, even though I am sad I can no longer continue, but this does leave me to finish my Crash Bandicoot fic which, believe it or not, actually sets the path for my version of Jak 3 (which I will talk more on later down). First off, let me speak more on these last two chapters.

**The Ending (wazzup with that?)  
**The main thing you'll ALL notice when you read this fic is the altered ending. Why did I change it? What's up with Jak being prince when he ends up banished to the Wasteland in Jak 3? Well, simple. I disliked Jak 2's ending (although I'm actually showing some signs of respect for it after Jak 3's even worse ending). It was fulfilling, but not all the way through. It just didn't feel all that…complete for me. I wanted a more dramatic approach and thus, I created this. I wanted to show how the character's lives are played out and further expend on who they are and what they will do now. As for Jak bring prince, it's probably my interest in royal figures. Naturally, I think Jak in a royal outfit is major awesomeness, so I can't help but make it. Don't fret. I don't plan to make him retire from adventures, of course not. Jak will return. Christof is just taking over for the time being until the next Jak fanfic I write (and if I plan to put it here). If you don't like this ending approach, then oh, well, more power to you

**Jak 3 (What I plan to do)  
**The next one is Jak 3. Now, I manage to get the game a week or so ago and manage to beat it two days ago. Without any spoilers, let me state that the story got good, then turned horrible with a revelation involving the Precursors that shocked and pissed me off. In truth, when I got Jak 3, I was wondering if I should do a Jak 3 story. It WOULD be separate from my own Jak 2 fic I made and just merely be a Jak 3 adaptation (I can't make the Prince end up banished, it doesn't work in my story), but after playing it, I just said, "forget it." Let someone else do it. Instead, I'm going to work on MY own Jak 3 which has actually been in planning since months before Jak 3's release. You see, I don't wanna do it because I dislike Jak 3's story. It was VERY disappointing and really didn't have the epic feel Jak 2 did. I have a lot of the story set out for MY Jak 3, but now that I played Jak 3, I'm going to change SOME things around and add things Jak 3 has (because those scenes are good), BUT I refuse to put in some certain scenes which pisses me off (if you have Jak 3 and played it, you'll know what I mean). So basically this is my own Jak 3, completely deprived of Jak 3 the game (except with some elements thrown), and more of my own story. I'll probably make it after I finish my Crash fic which I said earlier actually will connect with my Jak 3 story. It's kinda hard to explain. You'll probably have to read "Experiment Bandicoot" as I update to know.

**Thank You  
**There's more to explain, but I best stop as to not further confuse anyone. All I can say is THANK YOU! Thank you ALL for reading and reviewing my fics. While I've had some minor changes added from the earlier fics, I had quite a lot of fun with this fic and is actually pretty durn proud of it. THANK YOU all for all your advices, comments, supports, etc. You guys are the best. It was thanks to you that I got Jak 2 fanfic done. Here's to possibly Jak 3 fanfic coming as soon as I can make it! Until then, AH-YOUNG (Good-Bye in Korean)!

Neo Yi


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